REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NUSA DUA -- China is becoming the main market for Indonesian tourism and is prepared to make a significant contribution to tourist arrivals to Indonesia, an official of the tourism ministry said.

"We are optimistic that tourist arrivals (from China) will increase, especially with direct flights from China to tourism destinations in Indonesia. The flights will be offered by Hainan Airlines on a new route from Beijing to Denpasar in Bali starting January 15, 2014," said secretary to the tourism market Directorate General I Gusti Ngurah Putra here on Saturday.

According to Gusti, Hainan Airlines flights from Beijing to Bali will arrive by Boeing 767-300 ER with a capacity of 223 passengers three times a week. These flights will increase tourist arrivals from China, which has been targeted for 970,000 people.

Ngurah Putra stated that in 2013, some 800 thousand Chinese tourists came to Indonesia, being part of 8.7 million tourist arrivals targeted by the Indonesian government last year.

Meanwhile, in 2014 the government set a target of 9.2 million tourist arrivals, with 970,000 from China.

Tourism minister Mari Elka Pangestu paid a visit to China in November 2013 to promote "Wonderful Indonesia" with the Government of Fujian Province in an effort to improve relations through the "sister province" (Central Java-Fujian) and "Sister Cities" (Surabaya-Fuzhou and Chengzhou-Palembang) programs.

Most of the Chinese tourists who visited Indonesia chose Bali as their holiday destination, Ngurah Putra stated.

The results of a poll in Beijing "People's Broadcasting 2011", showed that Bali is one of the world's 10 favorite tourist destinations among the Chinese, in addition to Australia, Cape Town, Edinburgh, Hawaii, Madrid, Egypt, Niagara Falls, Paris, and Switzerland.

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