Kendari - Wakatobi district head Hugua visited several European and Asian countries recently to promote southeast Sulawesi`s tourism potential. "I have visited several European and Asian countries to promote our province`s tourism, not just for sight-seeing," Hugua said here Wednesday.
He explained that the visits were not paid by the provincial budget, but at the expense of three foreign companies which have invested in the province.
Last June, the Wakatobi district head visited Spain, France, Italy and Saudi Arabia in a tourism promotion mission. Previously, he had visited Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and The Netherlands at an invitation of an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO).
Hugua said that the visits were not merely tours for him, but he had to present papers to introduce tourist objects and traditional cultures of southeast Sulawesi to the people of the Asian and European countries.
Tourism promotion abroad has yielded some results, as between 150 to 250 foreign tourists have started to visit Hoga Island in the province lately.
When he visited Japan early this year, the government of Japan expressed its interest in helping the province through a project called "Sulawesi Capacity Development", he said.
Source: www.zeenews.com (12 Juli 2007)
