Tourism Minister talks shop with German, Japanese Ambassadors

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga met with German Ambassador to Sri Lanka Dr. Jueroen Morhard and Ambassador for Japan in Sri Lanka Kenichi Suganuma, to discuss new opportunities for Sri Lanka Tourism in the German and Japanese markets. Paddy Vithana, Mal Raja Kiriella and Dinesh Weerakkody participated in the discussion with the Minister.

Indonesia’s foreign tourist arrivals up 2.87% in August

JAKARTA (Reuters): Indonesia’s foreign tourist arrivals rose 2.87% in August from a year earlier, after growing 4.76% in July, the statistics bureau said on Thursday.

Data showed around 850,500 tourists visited Indonesia in August, up from 814,200 in July.

President Joko Widodo wants Southeast Asia’s largest economy to attract 20 million tourists a year by the end of his term in 2019. Last year, 9.44 million foreigners visited the country.

To help achieve his ambitious target, Widodo has moved to waive visa requirements for visitors from dozens of countries.