Indian tourists to Bali surge hinh anh 1Bali on the map (Source: google)

Jakarta (VNA) – About 118,000 Indians visited Bali, Indonesia between January and August, soaring 61.6 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the local Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Bali BPS Head Adi Nugroho said India sent the fifth most visitors to the popular island, after Australia, China, Japan and the UK.

A local tourism insider attributed the surging volume to similarities between India and Bali in art, culture and Hinduism.

Improved Indonesia-India cooperation is also a factor, he added.

Previously, Indonesian Ambassador to India, Rizali W Indrakesuma said that Indonesia is working to operate direct flights between the two countries to boost tourism and trade.

In the first eight months of 2016, Bali welcomed a total of 3.2 million tourist arrivals, up 22.8 percent year on year.-VNA
VNA