DENPASAR ~ UNESCO Director General Kaichiro Matsura is expected to be a keynote speaker at the first Bali Cultural Congress, which is to be held in conjunction with the opening of the 30th Bali Arts Festival on June 14, state media reported.

Kaichiro Matsura will be one of six foreign speakers in the three-day congress on June 14-16, according to information from the organizing committee, the Antara news agency reported.

The five other international speakers are Dr Shangkar Dhayal Dvivedi of Uthar Prodesh University in India, Prof Jenskin of the United States, Adrian Vickers of Australia, Shenji Yamasitha of Japan and Dr Mark Hobart of Britain.

In addition to the six foreign speakers, nine national cultural experts are also to speak at the congress, which is expected to be attended by at least 400 people, Antara said.

The national speakers are to be, among others, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, Putu Wijaya and Professor Komang Gede Bendesa, and 12 local speakers from Bali, it said.

Bali Cultural Office chief I Nyoman Nikanaya said, meanwhile, that he hoped the meeting would come up with ideas to help Bali expand in the international tourism market.