INDONESIA WANTS MORE FILIPINO TOURISTS

THE INDONESIAN government wants to have more Filipino tourists. Rizki Handayani Mustafa, a deputy minister of Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism, said it wants to strengthen their partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries, particularly the Philippines through “twinning.” Under the marketing strategy, Mustafa said the Philippines may partner with Asean countries and sell the tourist attractions of both countries in the form of package tours. “We do it with Singapore. We’re interested in doing it with the Philippines as well. I’m very interested to discuss it with the Department of Tourism (DoT) on how the industry can facilitate these programs,” she told TheManilaTimes. Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jose Clemente 3rd said the DoT and private stakeholders want to implement the scheme with Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. “We will tie-up with our neighboring countries in Asia. Boosting arrivals not only to the Philippines, but also to the Asean region. It’s a benefit for all of us,” he said. Over 210,000 Filipinos visit Indonesia yearly, according to Mustafa.