REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SABANG -- 'Sail Sabang,' which will be held in Aceh Province from Nov 28 to Dec 5, 2017, is expected to attract some 20 thousand tourists, including 3 thousands foreign visitors.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya stated in a coordination meeting here on Tuesday that Sail Sabang will be the biggest tourism event ever organized in the country, and it is expected to attract 20 thousand visitors.

He stated that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope that the international sailing event would help improve people's economy.

Hence, the government has launched intensive promotions, both at home and abroad. The Tourism Ministry has promoted the event through the media in strategic locations overseas, including at Changi Airport in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and through TV broadcast, such as CNN and FOX.

"The central government has prepared various facilities to promote the Province of Aceh during the event," he noted.

Yahya stated that Aceh Province's tourism has been promoted internationally up to the Middle East.

"The promotion has been conducted up to the Middle East to attract tourists to visit Aceh," Yahya noted, while chairing a coordination meeting on the implementation of Sail Sabang, here, on Tuesday.

Jokowi is keen to develop the tourism industry for the welfare of Indonesians from Sabang, Aceh, till Merauke, Papua, he stated.

Tourism is expected to become the largest contributor of foreign exchange in Indonesia by 2019, with the value reaching US$24 billion, exceeding that of oil and gas, as well as crude palm oil.

The Aceh provincial government has also intensified the promotion of tourism destinations in 23 districts and cities in the province.

Malaysia has contributed to the largest number of foreign tourists visiting Aceh, followed by 371 Chinese visitors, 191 Australian tourists, 184 French, 183 from the Philippines, 179 each from Germany and the US, 171 from the UK, 157 Thai tourists, and 133 from Singapore.

In the meantime, Sail Sabang chief organizer Daud, while answering questions regarding the progress in organizing the event, explained that as many as 1,220 hotel rooms in Sabang have been fully booked during the event.

He added that the Sail Sabang Committee had already compiled the data of all home stays and rooms that would be offered to the visitors.

"All the hotel rooms have already been fully booked. We would offer home stays or rented houses for the incoming tourists," he explained.

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