Jakarta, May 26 (Antara) - Indonesia is conducting tourism promotional activities both at home and in Thailand in a bid to attract some 200 thousand tourists from its neighboring country this year.
The activities carried out by Indonesia to attract Thai tourists include promoting its premier golfing destinations, organizing promotional activities in various strategic tourist destinations in Thailand, and holding a "Thailand Corner" event at home to popularize Thai culinary arts and culture in Indonesia.
Deputy for International Tourism Marketing Development of the Tourism Ministry I Gde Pitana stated in Jakarta on Wednesday that his ministry was conducting various promotional activities in Thailand to achieve its target to attract 200 thousand Thai tourists.
Some of the promotional activities will be held at the Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok on May 27-29, 2016, Pitana remarked.
Moreover, the Ministry of Tourism had also promoted Indonesia's premier golfing destinations at the Thailand Golf Expo held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, on May 12-15.
"Indonesia is a paradise for golfers as they can play all year round since the game is not affected by seasonal changes," Tourism Minister Arief Yahya noted in a press statement recently on May 13.
The minister pointed out that the condition of golf courses in Indonesia was better than those in Thailand. The golf courses have a backdrop of mountains, active volcanoes, oceans, lakes, forests, and city skylines.
The minister affirmed that 114 courses in the country met international standards.
Five years ago, golf tourism in Indonesia only attracted some 900 foreign tourists per year. Currently, that figure has increased to some three thousand annually.
Assistant Deputy of the Southeast Asian Market Development of the Ministry of Tourism Rizki Handayani stated that the ministry had participated in the event to boost golf tourism in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, a festival, called Thailand Corner, was also organized in Indonesia on Tuesday (May 24) to popularize Thai culture, culinary delicacies, souvenirs, and language, among others.
The Thailand Corner was organized at the Malang Muhammadiyah University (UMM) in East Java.
"The Thailand Corner holds strategic importance owing to the fact that the number of students from Thailand studying at the UMM has increased from year to year. This is good for fostering relations between the two countries," Soeparto, the UMM assistant rector for cooperation affairs, stated during the opening of the Thailand Corner.
The daylong festival showcased diverse cultural specialties and the rich culinary heritage of Thailand. Besides a variety of special dishes being served in the stalls at the event, the Thailand Corner also introduced Thai language and souvenirs.
Most visitors thronged the food stand, called "Kudapan," which was offering four varieties of special Thai snacks.
"We are introducing four types of Thai snacks to the visitors. They are Man boan (candied pumpkin), khoa pod buad (boiled corn eaten with sweet coconut milk), look chub (cake with peeled green bean), and fog hiang (fried stirred egg yolk)," Pandan, a Thai student, revealed.
"The Thailand Corner is being held to introduce the Thai culture in Indonesia," noted Soperato.
This event is also part of the tourism promotional efforts made both at home and in Thailand to draw tourists from that country.
Pitana believed that achieving the target was not an easy task at a time when Thailand was also intensifying its domestic tourism promotion.
Hence, the Tourism Ministry should also intensively promote the "Wonderful Indonesia" enchantment program among Thai tourists, including foreign visitors, holidaying in Thailand.
The number of Thai tourist arrivals in Indonesia in 2015 had reached 89,577. Hence, the arrival of Thai tourists in Indonesia should be increased two folds in order to realize the target this year. Pitana noted that the target was likely to be achieved.
Pitana stated that before conducting the main agenda at the Platinum Fashion Mall in Thailand, the Tourism Ministry had assigned the Zanda Convention and Fair Tour Co. travel agencies to participate in on-road promotional activities at several strategic locations in Thailand.
The strategic locations included the Fortune Town in Rama IV Road, Bangkok, where the Tourism Ministry would aim to draw office and family circles; and the Center Point in Siam Square where it would attract students and office-going crowds.
Besides this, the promotional activities will also be held at the Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is open on Saturdays and Sundays, and will target students, tourists, and families.
Tourism promotion will also be carried out at the Central Festival in Pattaya, a tourism area that offers several attractions, including diving, fishing, golfing, restaurants, and shopping facilities.
Earlier, Minister Yahya had stated that the tourism sector was one of the main pillars of the local economy, and by 2019, it was expected to create 13 million jobs, attract 20 million foreign tourists and 275 million domestic tourists, and to raise Indonesia's world tourism competitiveness index ranking to the 30th position.
By 2019, the tourism sector is expected to contribute eight percent to the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), with foreign exchange earnings amounting to Rp240 trillion.
In 2016, the tourism sector is expected to attract 12 million foreign tourists, earning foreign exchange of Rp172 trillion and ensuring 260 million domestic tourist trips, with a collective spending of Rp223.6 trillion.
The contribution of tourism to the nation's GDP in 2016 is expected to increase by five percent, while creating 11.7 million jobs. ***1***(a014/INE)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 26-05-2016 16:21:2 |
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