The official announcement of the campaign, the second that will be held by the country after an earlier one in 1992, will be made next month, and will kick off a months’ long promotion campaign, the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s director general of marketing, Thamrin B. Bachri, said Tuesday.

Throughout 2008, the country will stage 100 international-scale events and cultural festivals, with the “visit Indonesia” campaign being timed to coincide with the World Culture Forum 2008.

In the first Visit Indonesia Year in 1992, the country boosted foreign tourist arrivals by more than 20 percent to 3.1 million from 2.5 million the previous year.

In the first Visit Indonesia Year in 1992, the country boosted foreign tourist arrivals by more than 20 percent to 3.1 million from 2.5 million the previous year.

The planned overseas promotional campaign includes advertising on international television channels, said Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.

“Advertisements on such TV channels are one of the most effective ways of attracting foreign tourists,” he said, adding that other countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand, spent vast sums on such advertising.

“We will be out of sight of the rest of the world if we don’t take effective and immediate action to raise awareness among overseas tourists that Indonesia is a safe and attractive place to visit.”

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