Coordinating meetings about the festival were held respectively in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, on May 24, and in Dili, Timor Leste, on May 26, Vinsensius Jemadu, an official of the tourism ministry, disclosed here on Saturday.
Timor Leste is a potential market, thanks to its geographic closeness and cultural similarity, he added.
The official hoped that more Timor Leste tourists will cross the border into Atambua, Indonesia.
“Border tourism makes a significant contribution to any countrys tourism. In several European countries, such as the Netherlands, Germany and France, the number of tourists coming from countries that share border with them, has been increasing. Same is the case with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,” he explained.
Indonesia is focusing on cross-border tourism this year to attract tourists from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Timor Leste, the official noted.
The Indonesian government hopes to generate foreign exchange amounting to Rp172 trillion from 12 million foreign tourist arrivals and Rp223.6 trillion from 260 million domestic tourists this year