Meet Indonesia’s Travel Trade in Makassar October 14-17, 2008. This year’s Indonesia’s annual travel mart Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) or Pasar Wisata Indonesia returns to Makassar, South Sulawesi. The only official Indonesian-wide tourism and travel mart will be held on October 14-17, 2008 at the Celebes Convention Center (CCC). Now entering its 14th year, TIME is organized by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) and supported by all tourism components in Indonesia.
The Chairwoman and Steering Committee of TIME 2008, Meity Robot, said TIME also supports the government program of “Visit Indonesia Year 2008″ which is targeting 7 million foreign visitors to Indonesia for 2008.
TIME is an international travel mart in Indonesia organized on a business to business (B2B) basis providing a meeting place for those who sell Indonesian tourism products and services (sellers) and international buyers.
“Adopting the theme of Eco-Tourism and Maritime Tourism, TIME 2008 will present all tourist destinations, including popular travel destinations, tourism objects, and new product development particularly those which relate to Eco-Tourism dan Maritime Tourism,” Meity explained.
The Mayor of Makassar, Ilham Arief Sirajuddin, who is the Organizing Committe Chairman of TIME 2008, has welcomed the appointment of Makassar as host of TIME for the second time.
Local Organizing Committee Chairman of TIME 2008, Niko B. Pasaka, said that Makassar is ready in host TIME 2008. “Presently, a number supporting facilities are close to completion. This includes the 11 kilometer of highway connecting Makassar city center to airport as well as the completion of Hasanuddin International Airport. We hope these facilities could finish on time to support TIME 2008,” Nico said.
TIME 2006 attracted 110 international buyers from 21 countries and 124 sellers from 20 provinces in Indonesia.
“The number of buyers attending TIME over six consecutive years have increased steadily over time,” explained Meity.
[Official TIME Website]
For more information contact Ms. Tiara Hasibuan at telephone ++62-(0)21-5705800 – Extension 214.
Source: www.balidiscovery.com
July 10th, 2008
What is going on in the mindset of some politicians? Is it just naivity? Vice President Jusuf Kalla suggestion printed in The Jakarta Post on July 5 to turn Lombok into an Islamic resort free of beer and alcohol is definitely a great new subject for the TV show Republik Mimpi.
In other words, our vice president wants to ruin the tourism industry in Lombok. An informed person knows, the majority of tourists from the Middle Eastern countries go overseas to enjoy exactly what they do not find at home.
The religious guests from the Middle East were as well encouraged by Kalla some time ago to enter contractual marriages in Indonesia, a very Islamic credential indeed.
What Lombok needs to promote tourism is better access, like direct international flights.
If Lombok becomes an Islamic resort the island will be more deserted. The next step would of course be the establishment of sharia law on Lombok and soon after in the rest of Indonesia.
The article did not mention that an Islamic resort would as well introduce strict Islamic swimsuit outfits. Other tourists, who might be by accident on the island, will have to follow the rules so as not to offend the pilgrims at the Mecca resort.
Seems we start to know more and more about the true intentions of some of our politicians and why radicals Islamic groups have a free hand in our country.
Indonesia seems to be going from a nice Asian country with a great culture along the path of Malaysia and Pakistan. The image of Indonesia is being damaged. God save Indonesia.
HERDI SENO
Jakarta
Source: The Jakarta Post
July 9th, 2008
Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - Culture and Tourism Minister Jero wacik said the number of foreign tourists who arrived in Indonesia in the first semester of 2008 was estimated at 3.1 million.
“I estimate that there are about 3.1 million foreign tourists who have arrived in the first semester of 2008. This is only an estimate because data issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) only covered the January-May period,” the minister said here on Monday.
He made the estimate on the sidelines of a get-together with 36 finalists of the Indonesian Miss Tourism competition in the ministry`s “Sapta Pesona” Hall.
The minister said that the BPS data indicated the arrivals of foreign tourists increased by about 14 percent per month.
“With the average increase of 14 percent per month, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia at the end of the year would reach 6.3 to 6.4 million,” he said.
He said that therefore the government should continue to promote the country`s tourism in order to achieve its target of seven million foreign tourist arrivals this year.
The minister launched Visit Indonesia Year 2008 last January setting a target of foreign tourist arrivals at seven million.
Last February, in a hearing with the Tourism Commission of the House of Representatives, the minister said that there were 5.5 foreign tourist arrivals in 2007. Of the visitors, 1.46 million came from Singapore, 941,202 from Malaysia, 593,784 from Japan, 313,881 from Australia, 528,171 from Europe and Russia, 423,098 from South Korea, 335,172 from china and Hong Kong, 154,846 from the United States, 151,704 from India, 45,735 from the Middle East, 24,735 from Thailand and 209,612 from other countries.
Earlier, the BPS said that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in May 2008 stood at 509,000, or an increase by about 10.85 percent compared with a month earlier when the figure was 459.130. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2008
Source: ANTARA News
July 8th, 2008
Quebec (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is among 41 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention which will present properties for inscription on UNESCO`s World Heritage List During this year?s session, hosted by Canada to coincide with the 400th anniversary celebration of the founding of Quebec City, on Wednesday (July 2).
Among the 41 States Parties are also five countries that have no sites inscribed on the List: Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Saudi Arabia and Vanuatu, according to information available on the website of UNESCO on Wednesday.
The Committee will also review the state of conservation of the 30 World Heritage sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger and may decide to add new sites to that list of properties whose preservation requires special attention.
The List in Danger features sites which are threatened by a variety of problems such as natural disasters, pillaging, pollution, and poorly managed mass tourism, that may have a negative impact on the universal values for which they were inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Among sites on the List in Danger, the cultural landscape of Germany`s Dresden Elbe Valley will come under particular scrutiny. In keeping with the decision it took at its last meeting, the Committee will decide whether to keep the property on the World Heritage List or whether the building of a bridge in the heart of the landscape warrants its deletion from the List.
To date, UNESCO`s 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage protects 851 properties of ?outstanding universal value,? including 660 cultural, 166 natural and 25 mixed properties in 141 States Parties.
Natural properties submitted for inscription to the World Heritage List include the Fabrica Nacional de Cementos S.A. (FANCESA), Cal Orck`O, Sucre, Departamento Chuquisaca (Bolivia), The Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada), Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China), Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France), Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico), Socotra Archipelago (Yemen).
Meanwhile, cultural properties submitted for inscription to the List are among other things: Cultural Landscape of Bali Province (Indonesia), Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra - Towns of southern Albania, exceptional testimonies of well-preserved Ottoman settlements in the Balkan region, an extension (Albania), the Sacred Site of the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia), Fujian Tulou (China), The Stari Grad Plain (Croatia), Urban Historic Scenary Camaguey (Cuba), River Island of Majuli in midstream of Brahmaputra River in Assam (India), The Armenian Monastic Ensembles in Iranian Azarbayjan ((Islamic Republic of Iran), The Triple-arch Gate at Dan (Israel), Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests (Kenya), Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain (Kyrgyzstan), and Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca: Melaka and George Town (Malaysia). (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2008
Source: ANTARA News
July 3rd, 2008
By CHRIS PRITCHARD
Perception is the problem. Or so I’m told. It’s a claim I hear again and again in Davao.
“People believe wrongly that this is a violent destination but it isn’t,” sighs city administrator Wendel Avisado. “We happen to be on the island of Mindanao - and people are warned `don’t go to Mindanao - it’s dangerous’.”
Of Davao’s 1.5 million people, 95 percent are Christian (mostly Catholic). It is reputedly the Philippines’ cleanest city. Streets are swept regularly. Footpaths are dotted with garbage bins. Smoking is outlawed except in designated areas. Taxis are modern and metered, with rip-offs rare.
Crime levels are low. Mayors are powerful in the Philippines and Davao’s, Harley-Davidson-riding Rodrigo Duterte, runs a tough-guy administration that keeps the streets safe.
Davao is one of Asia’s most fascinating holiday destinations. Direct flights bring in tourists from Singapore and Hong Kong (including many expatriates resident there). Other visitors, including package tourists from South Korea - the Philippines’ number-one market - transit through Manila.
But few Australians are to be seen, because of travel warnings to keep out of Mindanao.
The Philippines government is fighting a long-running war against Muslim separatist guerillas, some belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and others supporting a more radical breakaway called Abu Sayyaf.
Kidnap and murder are real risks in some parts of the big island - closer to Zamboanga and Basilan, for instance. Sadly, this unpleasant fact has impeded tourism growth in tranquil Davao.
The national picture doesn’t help. Criticism inside the country cites poor transport links and below-standard airports as reasons tourism isn’t surging.
Tourism secretary Joseph Durano recently acknowledged a target of five million tourists a year by 2010 is unlikely to be met.
So, the Philippines remains a bit player on the Asian tourism stage. Australians and others throng Thailand and Bali but a comparative trickle reaches the Philippines.
Bali is a sore point in Davao. Officials contend that, while violence in some parts of Indonesia doesn’t stop foreigners streaming to Bali, incidents elsewhere in Mindanao succeed in derailing Davao’s tourism growth.
This seems a pity because Davao is a splendid and easily reached destination. A modern city, it boasts malls and markets (with cheap shopping), tropical parkland, diverse cultural attractions, good golf courses, white-sand beaches, white-water rafting, hiking, memorable restaurants and superb resorts.
For instance, I check out the Pearl Farm Beach Resort. Tourists snorkel in clear water, some go wreck-diving, a few laze in hammocks on over-water balconies. Dining is five-star and accommodation is as good as at the best Thai or Maldivian resorts.
It’s often full and staff tell me Hong Kong, Singapore and Germany are key sources of custom.
Food in this port city is very seafood-oriented. This is no surprise because tuna-fishing is one of Davao’s main industries.
Local delicacies include panga (grilled tuna jaw) and kinilaw (marinated raw tuna). Among many fine seafood restaurants, the no-frills Luz Kinilaw excels.
However, the main attraction bringing tourists here is the Philippine Eagle Centre, an hour’s drive from the city. Its aim is to save sorely endangered Philippine eagles, of which only 500 pairs are believed to survive in the wild. Logging and encroaching farming are destroying their habitat.
The centre welcomes visitors as a means to fund its work. Thirty-two eagles live at the centre, half of them captive-born.
The Philippine eagle is awesome - and among the world’s largest birds. It weighs up to 7kg, with a two two-metre wingspan.
While some birds are captive-bred, others are retrieved by farmers who find them injured on the ground. Others were pets kept illegally and confiscated by authorities.
The centre frees some birds in remote forests.
Captive breeding involves a bizarre artificial insemination programme. Human surrogates live with the birds in their nests - enormous structures allowing the birds to fly and build high platform-like nests.
Birds in the breeding programme are shielded from seeing other eagles and so regard the surrogate, who spends many hours with them, as an eagle. Surrogates wear protective leather clothing but nevertheless bear scars from being affectionately clawed and pecked.
When the time is deemed right, semen is collected manually from a male bird and spirited to another cage where a surrogate has earned the trust of a female - which permits fertilisation.
Staff resorted to this method of captive breeding after finding easily-stressed eagles failed to breed if anaesthetised for fertilisation.
A local contact points me to Davao’s oddest lodgings: Ponce Suites Gallery Hotel. A 30-roomer, its exterior is encrusted by giant sculptures. Internal corridors are filled with hundreds of paintings and sculptures - some using junk such as discarded typewriters or electronics.
All are the work of a famous Philippine artist named Kublai (real name: Rey Mudjahid Ponce Millan but he uses his nickname).
“It’s only 10 percent of my work,” the prolific artist tells me in his hotel’s rooftop bar-restaurant.
Kublai drives me to the neighbouring province of Davao del Sur. We cross plains of rice, climb through mountainous farmland and small villages for nearly two hours - and, finally, park beneath Agung House, a giant modernist sculpture that contains a two-bedroom house with a view of Mt Apo, tallest peak in the Philippines.
Next day I venture north to another neighbouring province, Davao del Norte, to visit members of two of Mindanao’s 13 tribes. Traditional weaving is demonstrated and tribal music performances draw crowds of village kids.
In the province’s Tagum City, I stop to admire the world’s largest Rosary (85.5 metres long and made of balls of wood) before visiting Muslim members of the Kalagan tribe.
Tribe members tell me they earn their money collecting mud crabs from the mangroves. (Some Muslims don’t eat seafood but this community does.)
Modernity has had its impact. Members of the tribe tote mobile telephones, wear designer sunglasses and live in relatively affluent circumstances.
At a park outside Davao called Eden Resort, I see full-size replicas of traditional-style dwellings of Mindanao tribes. Customs of different tribes are explained.
“Elsewhere in the Philippines, less of the age-old tribal culture endures,” says Professor Jowel Canuday, a Davao-based authority on the area’s indigenous culture.
“It’s a pity more people don’t see it - before it’s gone.”
IF YOU GO
Philippine Airlines flies between Australia and Manila, the Philippines capital, with frequent 90-minute jet connections to Davao.
Alternatively, Davao is served by other carriers’ non-stop services from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Australian and most other passport holders do not need visas for holiday visits.
$A1 buys about P41 (Philippine pesos) ($NZ1.30).
Pearl Farm Beach Resort is an opulent resort reached by short launch transfer, Waterfront Insular Hotel is an upscale resort-setting property only 10 minutes by metered taxi from downtown and Ponce Suites Gallery Hotel is a delightfully quirky art-filled hotel with rooftop restaurant-bar surprisingly modestly-priced in the mid-market niche.
The Australian government’s travel advice website currently advises against visiting Mindanao. However, aside from Australians, tourists are plentiful: direct flights bring visitors from Hong Kong and Singapore (including many resident expatriates) to resorts such as the Pearl Farm. Korean package tourists are also numerous.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/
July 1st, 2008