Indonesia to double tourist arrivals from China

Jakarta has asked the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to speed up implementation of a common visa for the 10-nation bloc in a bid to boost tourism.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago country with 17,508 islands, boasts cultural and ethnic diversity, natural sights and historical heritage.

The beauty and uniqueness of the island country attracted 7.65 million foreign holidaymakers last year, higher than the 7 million people in the previous year, according to the statistic agency.

Pangestu said this year Indonesia is expecting 8 million foreign tourists and the number could reach 9.5 million in 2014.

Bali island is the center of the country's tourism industry, and the Komodo dragon island is the habitat for the world's largest living species of lizards, which was declared last year as one of the world's new seven wonders by the World Seven Wonder Foundation.

The world's largest temple of Borobudur in Yogyakarta province, the beauty of coral reef in Bunaken of South Sulawesi and Lombok island, have also attracted many foreign tourists.

The country also has tourism destinations linked with the expedition of historic Chinese marine explorer and diplomat fleet admiral Cheng Ho, or Zheng He, who sailed to Indonesia over 606 years ago, years before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean looking for a sea route to Asia.

There are three mosques named "Cheng Ho Mosques" scattered around Indonesia to commemorate his visit.