PALEMBANG, JAKARTA: South Sumatra has offered visas on arrival (VoA) to foreign tourists at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin International Airport to promote tourism in the province, a local official says.

Head of the provincial tourism and culture office, Rahman Zeth, said foreign tourists could fly directly to South Sumatra and apply for the tourist visa upon their arrival at the airport.

"Immigration and tourist officers are ready to serve foreign tourists at the airport and the application process takes only minutes before they are free to visit tourist resorts in South Sumatra and other provinces," he said Friday.

The airport is the 17th authority to offer VoA to foreign tourists, "and this is the result of long hard work by the former governor", Rahman said. Visas on arrival can be also obtained at international airports in Denpasar, Medan, Cengkareng, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.

South Sumatra is also hosting an international orchid expo attended by tourists from Europe, United States, Japan, Australia and Middle Eastern countries.

"We still need intensive promotion to attract more foreign visits to the province," Rahman said. --JP