day cultural and tourism exhibition organized by the Indonesian Consulate to promote international cultural exchange will be held at the Red Sea Mall here beginning on April 30. The exhibition aims to promote cultural exchanges between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. There will be a photography session for children below the age of seven wearing traditional Indonesian costumes, said Dharma Kirty, head of the information affairs department at the consulate. “Children under seven can participate in this photo session in the presence of their parents. The children can have their pictures taken while dressed in traditional Indonesian clothes,” he explained. “This is a good opportunity to make people aware of the rich culture of the largest Muslim country in the world. On the sidelines of the exhibition, there will be catalogues and brochures with information about Indonesian tourism, traditions and culture with attractive gifts,” he added. “There will also be a meeting between Saudi travel agencies and 14 Indonesian travel agencies on Saturday at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Jeddah for further tourism promotion,” he said Indonesia is an ideal tourist destination for Saudis and Gulf tourists. It comprises almost 17,000 islands, located on the Equator, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Indonesia is characterized by a multiplicity of cultures, languages and more than 300 dialects. The number of tourists who traveled to Indonesia in 2008 amounted to 6.4 million, an increase of 13.2 percent from 2007, contributing $6.7 billion to the state revenue. It is expected that the number of visitors will increase to eight million in 2009, Kirty said.
