Indonesia and World Tourism News

NDONESIA: Govt takes foreign bloggers to Yogyakarta, Bali

Tourism ministry hopes the bloggers will write about lesser-known locales in Yogyakarta and Bali

The government has invited five foreign bloggers on a round trip to Yogyakarta and Bali, in a hope that they will write about their experiences and promote Indonesia.

The bloggers were from the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia, Culture and Tourism Ministry promotions director Esthy Reko Astuty said Wednesday.
“We hope they write about lesser-known tourist spots in Yogyakarta and Bali,” she said after a press conference on Pesta Blogger 2008.

Pesta Blogger is an annual event where bloggers from across Indonesia convene to exchange ideas and engage in public seminars.

This year, the event will be held on Saturday in the BPPT II building on Jl M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta. Honorary guests for the event will include Information and Communication Minister Mohammad Nuh and the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Cameron R. Hume. The foreign bloggers are also expected to attend.

According to kompas.com the bloggers arrived in Denpasar, Bali on Oct. 17, and will meet with local bloggers in Bali and Yogyakarta before heading to Jakarta.

Source: http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu

Add comment October 24th, 2008

Indonesian language congress in Jakarta

JAKARTA: The Ninth Indonesian Language Congress will take place in Jakarta from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1. The quinquennial event is held to commemorate the centenary of National Awakening and 80 years of the Youth Pledge.

The congress will see participants from different backgrounds, including language and literature experts, culture observers, teachers and students. Some ministers are expected to attend, including State Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Adhyaksa Dault and Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.

“We hope to better understand the problems we are facing with our national language. At the end of the congress, we will formulate a five-year plan to guide us in dealing with these problems,” education ministry language center head Dendy Sugiono told a press conference here Wednesday.

During the congress, the Language Center will exhibit for the first time its research, compiled over 15 years, on traditional languages in Indonesia — a sort of language map. Because the research is not yet finished, the map will only show about 420 languages from the estimated 746 traditional languages in use throughout the country. — JP

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment October 24th, 2008