ABU DHABI // Indonesia’s new ambassador to the UAE hopes to drive a fivefold increase in tourism to his country.
“Fewer than 20,000 people travel from the UAE to Indonesia a year, but my target is to make it 100,000 a year,” said Husin Bagis. “We hope to reach this number by the end of this year. I have started promoting the tourism sector of our country and advertised at different places in Dubai.”
The embassy said that trade between the countries fell to US$3.3 billion (Dh12.12bn) last year, down from $4.3bn in 2014. Mr Bagis cited the global economic situation and lower demand in the UAE.
Indonesia exports food, rice, cotton and textiles, while UAE exports include oil, gas and sulphur, and dates.
To increase trade, Mr Bagis said he has started meeting government and private entities to persuade them to visit and invest in Indonesia.
anwar@thenational.ae
