Oman-Indonesia trade rises 96 per cent

Muscat: Trade between Oman and Indonesia enjoyed a 96 per cent year-on-year increase, according to the archipelago’s ambassador to Oman, Musthafa Taufik Abdul Latif.
Latif said, “Our economic ties really grew in 2017. Our total trade reached more than half a billion US dollar, an increase of 96 per cent compared to the year before.”
The ambassador made the remarks during the Wonderful Indonesia Table Top Meeting, which was held at Crowne Plaza Muscat. Organised by the Embassy of Indonesia in Oman, the event brought together eight major tour operators and hotel management companies from Indonesia, with dozens of their counterparts in the Sultanate.
Speaking at the event, Nouri Aridi, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism’s country Manager in Dubai, said, “Indonesia is made up of more than 17,000 islands. Some have just been recently discovered and others may be out there. There are more than 300 dialects; imagine, from island to island they have their own language. It’s one of the largest archipelagos in the world, with more than 250 million inhabitants, which is similar to the entire Middle East combined.”
From one end of Indonesia to the other, she explained, the distance was equal to that between London and Tehran.
Aridi then introduced the audience to the “10 New Balis”, which include untapped tourism islands where the government of Indonesia was hoping to replicate the success of its most famous destination. “We have Tanjung Kilayang, Borobodur in Central Java, Lake Toba, Tanjung Lesung, Mount Bromo, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, Wakatobi, Kepulauan Seribu, and Morotai.”
Some Omani travellers, Aridi said, had even taken their own cars with them on month-long trips where they explored the entire island. “We are very proud that we have 169 visa-free countries for stays of 30 to 90 days. Iranians also get visas within 1-3 days.”
The meeting featured a number of traditional performances, bringing the rich culture of Java and Bali to the event’s attendees.
A raffle draw at the conclusion of the B2B meeting saw more than 10 gifts handed out to participants, including complimentary stays at luxury hotels, tours, and two return tickets to Jakarta with Oman Air.
Indonesia attracted more than 14 million visitors last year, a record high and up 21.9 per cent year-on-year compared to the 11.52 million foreign visitor arrivals in the preceding year. Under the administration of President Joko Widodo, Southeast Asia’s largest economy is aiming to increase the number of tourists to 20 million per year by 2019. If the destination’s growing popularity in Oman is anything to go by, they could be well on their way.