REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABAYA -- As many as 200 tourists traveling on board the Dutch-flagged MS Rotterdam cruise ship visited the Surabaya City Hall on Monday.

The visit added momentum to the efforts to promote tourist sites and cultural events in Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Chief of the Surabaya City Tourism and Culture Office Wiwiek Widayati said.

"Not only were there dance performances but also typical foods and drinks were served to the tourists," she said.

The visit of the cruise ship's passengers showed that Surabaya still could be a magnet to attract foreign tourists, she said.

The Surabaya city government has prepared several interesting places for tourists to visit, including Kayoon Flower Market and Submarine Monument, she said.

After enjoying various kinds of local cuisine and drinks, the tourists, who were mostly Dutch nationals, had a good opportunity to discover every corner of the city hall.

Some of the tourists entered a bunker built under the city hall's lobby and took pictures of every part of the building and asked the tour guide about its special characteristics.

From the city hall, the tourists were scheduled to visit Djoko Dolog Statue, Submarine Monument and Kayon Flower Market.

More tourists have been arriving in Indonesia on board cruise ships since the Indonesian government relaxed restrictions on foreign cruise ships last year.

The measure, which is aimed at boosting tourism, allows cruise ships to drop anchor at selected ports in the country. The ships can also collect tourists from those ports for cruising within the country or abroad.

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