REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MOSCOW -- The tourism ministry is launching major programs involving inter-airline cooperation, hot deal packages, digital programmatic tools, and other unusual methods. It was done in an effort to attract more tourists from Russia.

"However, Indonesia must apply the so-called "3A" principles -- accessibility, facilities, and appeal -- to promote tourism in the country," the Director of Tourism Development for the European Region, Agustini Rahayu, said here on Friday.

Rahayu, popularly known as Ayu, gave a presentation on the use of tourism infrastructure to increase the number of tourist visits and the development of Indonesian tourism marketing at the Indonesia-Russia Business Forum, which was opened by the Minister of National Development Planning (PPN) and Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Bambang P.S. Brodjonegoro, in the presence of around 500 invitees.

The third edition of the Indonesia Festival saw the Ministry of Tourism collaborating with the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow to attract more tourists from Russia, after a promising increase in the number of visitors between 2016 and 2017.

The total number of tourists coming from Russia to Indonesia in 2016 stood at 80,514 and increased in 2017 to 110,529 visitors.

"This shows an increase of 37.28 percent," Ayu said. "This is the first time in a decade that more than 100 thousand Russian tourists have come to Indonesia in a year."

Ayu added that while Bali is widely known in Russia, it is necessary to promote other destinations such as Lombok, Bintan, Batam, Yogyakarta, Lake Toba, Samosir Island, and Raja Ampat, which were identified as possible tourist spots during the panel discussion with Rostourizm, Aviacenter, ITM Groups, and Interfax Tourism.

Maritime tourism is still a major attraction for visitors from Russia and could be a prime selling point for Indonesia, whose more than 17 thousand islands make it the largest archipelago in the world. The promotion of Indonesia as a tourist destination among Russians must also be sustained because of possible Foreign Direct Investment inflow from expenditures by Russian tourists living and staying in Indonesia.

This year, Indonesia is promoting the top 18 destinations in the country that meet its "3A" principles. However, the list has to be narrowed down to just three, to add to the already-popular Bali, the world-famous Borobudur Temple in Central Java, which is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, with its extraordinary natural beauty and beautiful beach, and Labuan Bajo in Nusa East Southeast.

Tourist arrivals from the European region have followed a positive trend over the last few years, with England, France, Germany, Holland, and Russia making up the top 5 European markets for Indonesia.

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