Riau Keen To Study Malaysia's Tourism Promotion Methods

RIAU (INDONESIA), April 30 (Bernama) -- The Riau Islands province is keen to learn how to develop its tourism sector from Malaysia. The Riau Islands Tourism Division head Rahman Osman said they would increase cooperation with Malaysia in order to realise their aim. "The same sun shines over both places but how is it that Malaysia can attract more than 18 million tourists annually and Indonesia only about seven million. "According to my observation we have more tourism products, so we need to study Malaysia's method of promoting their products," he told Bernama at Daik, Lingga here. The Riau Islands, situated east of Sumatera, is more than 75,000 km square and has a population exceeding six million. He also invited private companies from Malaysia and other Asean countries to invest in tourism in Pulau Benan, which is considered the gateway for Lingga's tourism sector. Lingga is one of the five regencies which form the Riau Islands. Indonesia would offer a five-year tax waiver as an incentive to encourage such investments in Pulau Benan, he added. Lingga's deputy representative Abu Hasim said the district's history could be a potential contribution towards tourism products. "Apart from the sultanate, Lingga is made up of 99 per cent ocean. Therefore, there's great potential for activities like fishing, diving and snorkeling," he said. He further remarked that Lingga has 531 islands and more than 90 of them could be developed as resorts and the Daik mountain turned into a popular destination as well. He also noted that the similarities in culture and history between the Malays in both places would be an added attraction for visitors from Malaysia. --BERNAMA