Jan 2, 2008, 3:45 GMT
Jakarta - German couple Michel and Jennifer Franchon Bernard did not expect to be feted as the first foreigners to visit Indonesia when on New Year's Day they stepped into Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a newspaper report said Wednesday.
'What a surprise,' Michel Franchon Bernard told The Jakarta Post when a West Javan Sundanese dance troupe welcomed them upon their arrival. 'We are very happy. We never dreamed of this happening.'
The couple arrived Tuesday from Singapore for a two-week stay, during which they plan to see Jakarta, Bali and Lombok and immediately received their first souvenirs: flower wreaths and batik clothing from airport operator PT Angkasa Pura.
The welcome was made to support the government programme Visit Indonesia Year 2008, during which the country aims to attract 7 million foreign visitors, up from 5.5 million in 2006, as well as up to 6.4 billion dollars in foreign exchange.
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