Indonesia's Foreign Tourist Arrivals Up 14.45 Pct

The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia rose 14.45 percent in April, accelerating from the 8.96 percent pace a month before.

811,233 foreign tourists visited Indonesia in April, compared with 806,118 in March, the statistics bureau said.

The total number of people visiting the country, including foreign workers with permits for less than a year, was 901,095 in April.

The Indonesian government wants to expand the tourism sector to help reduce the country's reliance on exporting raw commodities.

Indonesia aims to attract 20 million foreign visitors a year by 2019, more than double the 9.73 million recorded last year.

As part of efforts to grow the sector, the government has allowed for greater foreign ownership in tourism-related businesses.