Apparently it took a year to bring Gere to Indonesia, Ministry of Culture and Tourism director general of marketing Sapta Nirwandar said as quoted by kompas.com.
“We did not pay him to come here. He came here as a personal guest of the ministry, not as a celebrity,” he added.
During his visit in Indonesia, Gere is scheduled to watch the sunrise at the temple and spend time with monks. He will also visit Yogyakarta and meet with Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.
“His presence will present a positive image for our country. We hope his visit will encourage other stars to visit the temple and other tourism cites nearby,” he said.
Sapta also hoped that Richard Gere’s visit would attract other visitors.