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Johor Baharu Proposes Friendship City With Jogjakarta To Promote Tourism, Investment

[ 22-12-2015 ]

JOGJAKARTA, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- The Johor government has proposed that Johor Baharu and Jogjakarta become friendship cities to help boost tourism and investment between them.

Johor Tourism, Trade and Consumerism Committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said He said the four weekly flights between Johor Baharu and Jogjakarta by AirAsia would be a catalyst for the success of the friendship city concept in enhancing cooperation between the two regions.

"Besides reflecting the ASEAN Community's aspiration, this proposal will indirectly benefit the people of Johor, especially those in the tourism and service sectors," he told reporters at the end of the three-day 'Explore Johor' tourism and investment mission to Jogjakarta here today.

The mission comprises 55 representatives from Johor government departments and agencies, tour agencies and the media.

Tee said tourist arrivals from Indonesia to Johor rose 3.92 per cent to 875,347 people from January to August this year from 842,338 in the corresponding period in 2014.

On the other hand, tourist arrivals from Jogjakarta to Johor increased to 42,392 for the January-November period this year from 22,682 in the corresponding period a year ago.

Known as the 'City of Students, Culture and Batik', Jogjakarta, a bustling city with 3.5 million people, offers a huge tourism market for Johor, Tee said.

"Likewise, the state of Johor, which has a population of 3.31 million people, is a potential tourism market for Jogjakarta," Tee said.

On the Explore Johor mission, he said the programme would be extended to other Indonesian cities that offered direct flights to Johor Baharu like Bandung and Surabaya.

The Jogjakarta tour and travel agencies were also excited with the diversity of tourism products offered by Johor, he said, adding that, "We will be making preparations to receive a return visit from them."

-- BERNAMA