Indonesia keen to deepen cooperation with China in tourism

JAKARTA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will take measures to deepen tourism cooperation with China and hopes to also expand cooperation with China in other areas, a senior tourism official has said.

With both countries now endeavoring to bolster the tourism sector and Chinese visitors constituting the largest number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia, it is only essential for the two countries to work together, Ukus Kuswara, secretary general of Indonesian tourism ministry, told Xinhua.

"Indonesia and China can complement to each other. We have plenty beautiful beaches, China has profound ways to manage tour in its mountains. They also preserve well their cultural heritages," he said.

Ukus said that Indonesia was eager to learn how China manages its tour destinations to make them more popular among domestic and foreign tourists.

Indonesia would send a delegation of tourism officials to China's Hangzhou city to learn about experiences in managing the West Lake, a famous scenic spot in the city.

The officials will work out a plan to develop Lake Toba, the country's largest lake in North Sumatra province, to make it a world-renowned tourist destination.

Ukus said that closer links in tourism sector would open wider access to reciprocal investment and trade between the two countries, as encompassed in the One Belt One Road initiative put forward by China.

The Indonesian government is now shifting focus to tourism and other service industries as earnings in oil and gas, coal and palm oil keep weakening.

Ten new tourist destination sites, including Lake Toba, are now under construction to par with its world-renowned Bali Island.

Indonesia expects to welcome 20 million foreign tourists by 2019, up from 12 million expected this year. The sector was expected to earn more than 24 billion U.S. Dollars by 2019.