Jackie Chan Appointed as Indonesian Tourism Ambassador

Jakarta (Antara) - An action star from Hong Kong, Jackie Chan, was appointed as Indonesian Tourism Ambassador for the Chinese market. Director of Tourism Promotion of Foreign from the Culture and Tourism Ministry Nia Niscaya said here on Tuesday that the Indonesian government would be officially appointing veteran actor Jackie Chan, born in Hong Kong, April 7, 1954, as Indonesian Tourism Ambassador immediately. "The inauguration will be held on August 30, 2014, in China International Travelmart event in Guang Zho," said Nia. On that occasion, Jackie who has appeared in 100 movies, will sing the song Bengawan Solo, which is popularly known to Chinese public. The song Bengawan Solo, Chinese version, sung by Jackie Chan will be recorded and can be downloaded freely at the website cn.indonesia.travel. Jackie who is also Cantopop and Mandopop singer will be in charge of promoting tourism in Indonesia as part of his activities. The ministry chose the actor who had studied acting since the1970s, considering his action that is well-known even internationally. "It will be very beneficial for Indonesia, and we hope to attract 1 million tourists from China this year," he noted. Such promotion, said Nia, was effective because the Indonesian government did not need to spend any money as compensation to the designated ambassador. However, its impact was relatively large when the ministry had appointed economist Philip Kotler as Indonesian Tourism Ambassador a few years ago. (*)