Indonesia, Maldives Foreign Ministers To Hold Bilateral Meeting In Jakarta

JAKARTA, June 21 (Antara) - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Asim will hold a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday (June 21) to discuss the cooperation in tourism sector. "We see Maldives as a potential market. Although the current bilateral trade value is relatively small, the tourism value is potentially great," Foreign Ministry's spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told reporters on Tuesday. Bilateral trade between Indonesia and Maldives in 2016 was valued at US$39.9 million, with surplus in Indonesia's side. Tourism has become the main sector that contributes to Maldives' economy, accounting for 28 percent of GDP and more than 60 percent of the country's foreign exchange receipts. The sector also attracts foreign workers, including 1.4 thousand Indonesians, who are currently working in tourism industry in Maldives. The number of Indonesian tourists who visited Maldives in 2015 was 3.5 thousand tourists, while the number or Maldivian tourists who visited Indonesia was 1.9 thousand tourists.