Published on March 2, 2014
Indonesia will this year again make its presence felt at Berlin’s prestigious ITB 2014 world travel fair, ongoing from 5 – 9 March. Arriving in full force with 87 members of the travel industry, comprising airlines, hotels, and provincial tourism offices, Indonesia occupies 410 sq meters in Hall 26A/Pavilion 120 and 235, carrying the new tagline : Wonderful Indonesia, Heart of World’s Wonders.
Not only will Indonesia‘s travel industry be ready to meet and discuss in-depth with operators wishing to send groups, or meet the general public to see Indonesia’s many amazing destinations, there will also be cultural performances to enjoy at Hall 26A – 235, and a selection of Indonesia’s aromatic coffee to sip. Try the country’s delectable culinary presentations. And those tired from wondering around the large halls may even experience a relaxing and invigorating special Spa massage.
Why the tagline :“ Wonderful Indonesia, the World’s Heart of Wonders“?
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Mari Elka Pangestu, explained: “ It simply means that tourists will find countless wonders centered in Indonesia.”
In addition to the 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites, the second largest mega biodiversity in the world, the world’s largest Buddhist temple (Borobudur), and incredible nature including the prehistoric Komodo dragon, and the archipelago’s spectacular underwater life at Raja Ampat and Wakatobi. Indonesia also boasts a rich cloth and culinary heritage across the archipelago, fascinating living traditions such as the traditional phinisi schooners and a huge variety of herbal products that are still being used today for fitness and beauty.
Of course the true wonder of Indonesia lies in the caring nature of its culturally diverse people, who live in harmony with nature and one another for thousands of years. The nation’s devotion to nature has inspired us to create cultural wonders acknowledged by the world as treasures of humanity. Their age-old traditions are based on indigenous wisdom of sustainability. “Indonesia is the place where the human heart works wonders. This is why Indonesian people smile a lot and use their heart in all they do”, said Minister Pangestu.
Visitors Arrivals: Positive Growth
The archipelago recorded 8.8 million international arrivals in 2013, an increase of 9.42%compared to the previous year. The number is higher than the world’s average growth rate of 5% per year. With the positive trend, contribution of tourism to Indonesia’s GDP reached about 3.8% from the total number of National GDP. In line with the increased visitors to Indonesia, tourism sector’s biggest impact in 2013 is on employment of 10.18 million people or 8.89% of the total national labor force, meaning that 1 out of 10 productive workforce works in the tourism sector. “With these positive figures, we are optimistic that
our target of 9.5 million international visitors for 2014 will be reached,” Minister Pangestu added
This Spring Garuda Indonesia is ready to operate direct flights between Jakarta and London.
