The Indonesian government is pondering ways to boost tourist arrivals from Middle East countries, a senior official said Wednesday.

"The government is very serious to boost tourist arrivals from the Middle East," said Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.

He said a special cabinet meeting led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was held earlier this week to discuss efforts to boost arrivals from the Middle East.

The government will increase promotional programs and ease visa procedures for tourists from the Middle East, he said in the sidelines of a seminar here.

There are nine Middle East countries to be granted with visa-on- arrival facility, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran and Oman, according to him.

Reports said the government has targeted to boost Middle East arrivals to 500,000 within the next three years.

Source: Xinhua