Provincial Government of West Sumatra will increase tourism to the promotion of tourism recover pascagempa 7.9 on the Richter scale that struck the province on September 30, 2009. “We got full support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to conduct a campaign,” said Head of the Office of Tourism in West Sumatra Padang Hellyward James, Wednesday (28/10).

He stated, increased tourism promotion done, both to convince domestic and foreign tourists that can still be visited West Sumatra. For promotion at the domestic level, in early November, West Sumatra Tourism Office will invite the national journalists to travel in a number of attractions in the province.

“They’ll be taken not only to the areas not affected by the earthquake, but also the areas afflicted with severe earthquake,” James said as quoted by Antara. He hoped the presence of journalists could promote attractions in West Sumatra to the national level.

For the promotion abroad, James said that the West Sumatra Tourism Office will audience with travel agents and journalists in Kuala Lumpur on the second week of November 2009. Expected, foreign journalists in the third week of November to visit West Sumatra.

James also said that various forms of promotions and activities that have been programmed so far kept walking. “We still campaign to put billboards in Bali,” he said. According to him, West Sumatra this year also continued to carry out campaigns to the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, various activities at the regional and national levels remain implemented, such as exhibitions in Solo, Batam Expo, Festival Dance in Padang dishes, and the Mentawai Festival in Padang in December.

Pascagempa measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, the visit to West Sumatra tourism feared to decline. The earthquake resulted in a number of hotels in Padang were severely damaged, as well as public infrastructure.