Govt to present medals to foreign tourists frequenting RI

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government will present medals to foreign tourists who have visited Indonesia at least 20 times, a minister said.

"We hope that by presenting the medals, we will encourage more foreign tourists to come to Indonesia," Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said here on Wednesday.

The medal presentation program for tourists was currently being processed and expected to be implemented in the very near future, the minister said.

According to the minister, Bali`s tourism office had data on the visits of foreign tourists, especially those from Australia who frequently came to Bali Island.

The minister was scheduled to launch a Tourism Awareness Campaign in Bandung, West Java, on November 25, 2007, as part of events to be organized prior to the launching of the Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program.

The campaign would also feature an art and culture parade by 17 art teams from all over Indonesia.

Indonesia is planning to launch a Visit Indonesia Year 2008 and expecting to attract seven million tourists, an increase from the 2007 target of six million.

For domestic tourists, Indonesia has set itself the targets of 118 million in 2008 and 117 million in 2007.