Kepri Third Largest Tourist Destination In Indonesia

Tanjungpinang, May 24 (Antara) - Tourism Minister Arif Yahya said the Riau Islands (Kepri) province is the third largest tourist destination in Indonesia after Bali and Jakarta . Kepri is the destination of foreign tourists visiting the country with Bali the destination of 40 percent and Jakarta the destination of 30 percent. The government would intensify promotion of Kepri as a major tourist destination, Arif said here on Sunday. Around 530,000 foreign tourists visited Kepri in the first quarter of this year exceeding he target of 500,000, the minister said, speaking at cultural festival in this provincial city. "Starting July we will promote Kepri abroad with a budget of Rp100 billion, that people could see the beauty of Kepri on television abroad and in the country," the minister said. He said cultures contribute 60 percent to the economic value of tourism in the country with natural beauty accounting for 35 percent and man made tourism components for 5 percent. In Kepri, however, natural beauty is the largest contributor accounting for 50 percent with cultures accounting for only 20 percent even less than man made tourism component making up 30 percent, he said. "The cultural component, therefore, needs to be promoted in Kepri," he added. In Korea, an industrialized country, cultural industry already far exceeds the manufacturing industry, he cited.