Malaysians Make Up The Bulk Of Tourists To Indonesia's Surabaya

By Mohd Shukri Ishak SURABAYA, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysians formed the bulk of tourists going to Surabaya, East Java which is famed for the beauty of its volcanic Mount Bromo. According to data from the office Statistics Indonesia (BPS), East Java Province, 618,000 foreign tourists arrived in Surabaya in 2018. “Of these, 53,000 were tourists from Malaysia, making them the biggest number of foreign tourists to East Java,” said head of the Office of Culture and Tourism of East Java Province, H. Jarianto. He said while in Surabaya, Malaysian tourists loved playing golf and visiting Mount Bromo, a 2,329 metre-high volcano located in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park and known for its natural beauty. Malaysians have also formed the largest number of tourists to East Java since 2016. Meanwhile, secretary of East Java Province, Heru Tjahjono was quoted by the local media as saying the Indonesian National Press Day 2019 (HPN 2019) celebrations held in Surabaya from Feb 7 to 9 will boost tourism to the region. The celebrations will bring together more than 6,000 media practitioners from throughout Indonesia and will be a platform for the region to gain wider publicity in promoting Surabaya as a tourist destination besides Bali, Jakarta and Bandung. Indonesian president Joko Widodo is scheduled to launch HPN 2019 Saturday (Feb 9). Malaysia-Indonesia Friendship Alliance (Iswami) Indonesia head Asro Kamal Rokan said  HPN is the second largest celebration in Indonesia after Aidilfitri as it had the full commitment of the leaders, media practitioners, private sector, corporate leaders, academicians, foreign dignitaries and local community. "HPN is held on Feb 9 each year on rotation in several cities in Indonesia,” Asro who is honorary board member of the Indonesia Journalists Association (PWI). -- BERNAMA