JAKARTA, March 16 -- The Indonesian government will raise the number of countries receiving free visa to 40 from the current 15 countries, a minister said here on Monday.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the expansion of the scheme was expected to increase the number of foreign tourist arrivals by 15 percent annually.

The number of foreign holiday makers coming into Indonesia last year reached 9.453 million, according to the national statistic bureau.

Among the countries to be included in the expansion are China, French, Germany, Norway, South Korea, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, Minister Yahya said at the Coordinating Ministry for Economy.

The Indonesian government has doubled the target of foreign holiday makers coming into the vast archipelago country to 20 million within 5 years, as there is a huge potential to boost the tourism industry in the country, Economic Chief Minister Sofyan Djalil has said.

Indonesia expects 10 million foreign tourist arrivals this year.

Indonesia's tourism industry has recovered from the Asian financial crisis and terrorism attacks in recent years.