"Wonderful Indonesia stand was selected as the Best Booth Design 2016," Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said in a press statement here on Monday.
The exposition, which took place last week, featured various enchanting maritime tourism opportunities. About 200 maritime tourism industries from various Asian countries participated.
The minister said Indonesia had made all out efforts to showcase its tourism attractions at the Wonderful Indonesia stand in the ADEX 2016 event. The Indonesian stand was designed in the form of phinisi, a legendary tall ship of Makassarese origin with international reputation.
"It was truly Indonesia. Among the sailors, the design is very popular. The tall ship has sailed across the globe," the minister said.
Minister Arif Yahya said the government wanted the Wonderful Indonesia tourism branding to have better rating at the world stage in order to achieve the standard required by the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tour and Travel Competitiveness Index.
He said if Indonesia figures in the Big Ten of the WEF, it could be said that Indonesia has become part of the worlds Big Ten.
Currently, Indonesia is ranked 47th.
In the meantime, the Indonesia Pavilion was voted Best Participant by the organizers of the International Tourism Exchange and Tourism Fair, and Equipment for Hotels & Catering METUBES Fair, held from April 21 to 23, 2016 in Budva, Montenegro.
Indonesia received the award because it successfully presented the potential of Indonesian tourism in its various aspects, such as tourist destinations, culinary arts and culture, President Director of the fair, Dr Rajko Bujkovic, stated.
Chief Information, Social and Cultural Affairs officer of the Indonesian Embassy in Belgrade, Habadi Soewedo, informed Antara on Saturday that the Indonesian Pavilion, with an area of 63 square meters, and titled Wonderful Indonesia, emphasized maritime travel.
Every visitor to the fair had a chance to enjoy an overview of various travel experiences in Indonesia, he said.
The awards ceremony was held in one of the exhibition halls, which was attended by officials, media and businessmen of Montenegro.
Indonesia has very rich attractions, cultural and culinary, Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia and also to Montenegro, Harry R J Kandou, said. Those two things can be utilized to carry out comprehensive promotion strategies at every opportunity.
The ambassador highly appreciated the awards and hoped it would further enhance bilateral cooperation.
The Indonesian Embassy continues to combine various types of promotions including travel destinations, cultural, culinary and fashion, in each of the embassys activities. If these promotions are handled well, the blend of all tourism aspects can further make them more effective, according to the ambassador.
In the fair titled Wonderful Indonesia, the Indonesian Pavilion presented a lot of attractions, such as specialty coffees of Indonesia and traditional dances. All such strategies were aimed at instilling in the minds of potential travelers the idea of a "dream holiday" in Indonesia, as well as establishing a brand image of Wonderful Indonesia in the European region.
The Indonesian Pavilion was always crowded with visitors. During peak hours, the officers of the exhibition were overwhelmed by the number of inquiries regarding package trips to Indonesia and travel agents willing to establish cooperation with Indonesian partners.
Since the inception of the exhibition, Indonesia is the first Asian country to become a partner. Participation of the Indonesian Embassy at the exhibition in Belgrade was fully supported by Inna Hotel Group, Indonesian Trade Promotion Center Budapest, Jungle Travel and Travel Asvinia.
Montenegro, a country in the Central European region, is very advanced in the field of tourism.
In terms of revenue, 70 percent of state revenues are derived from tourism. Therefore, the Indonesian presence in Montenegro is not only to attract tourists, but also to encourage cooperation on a business-to-business basis, primarily in the field of tourism.(WDY)
