JAKARTA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Host country Indonesia is expected to earn over 3.1 trillion rupiah (220 million U.S. dollars) from the spending of more than 278,000 people involved in the Asian Games, slated for Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 in Jakarta and Palembang, the Indonesian tourism minister Arief Yahya said Tuesday.

The amount of the expected earnings at the quadrennial sports event would come from the spending of supporters, athletes and officials from each country and region, officials from national and Asia Olympic Councils, Yahya said.

"The amount of money in circulation at the upcoming Asian Games will be huge. People must prepare to take advantage of this opportunity," the minister said.

He added that a large part of the expected earnings, amounting to 2.9 trillion rupiah (206 million U.S. dollars), would come from supporters, athletes and officials.

According to the minister, the number of athletes contending in the upcoming Asian Games will be 11,347, hailing from 45 countries and regions, making it the largest number in Asian Games history since 1951.

Besides the athletes, some 250,000 supporters from ASEAN and other Asian countries and regions will also attend the sports event, the minister said.

"The upcoming Asian Games will welcome a massive number of spectators with most of them, around 70 percent, lingering in Jakarta. The remaining 30 percent will be in Palembang. We have to be able to optimize this situation so as to gain more earnings," he pointed out.

The 18th Asian Games will be the second time for Indonesia to host Asia's largest sporting event with the first taking place in 1962.

The upcoming Asian Games, themed "Energy of Asia," would include 41 sports, comprised of 33 Olympic sports and eight non-Olympic sports.