The spread of bird flu in Indonesia has affected on the tourism industry, slightly decreasing the number of people traveling into the country, local media reported on Saturday.

"The tourism industry is in a difficult period, because the bird flu comes again," Secretary General of the Indonesian Tourism Ministry Sapta Nirwandar was quote by the Jakarta Times as saying.

However, he said the government would make serious effort to minimize the outbreak's effect on the industry.

He urged a transparent exchange of information among ASEAN countries in order to fuel the effort to avoid the spread of the lethal disease.

The virus has killed four people in Indonesia, bringing the total in Asia to 64.

Source: Xinhua