Monitoring Desk
JAKARTA: The Tourism Ministry is currently participating in the Flight Centre World Travel Expo, a travel exhibition hosted by Flight Centre, one of the largest retail travel outlets in Australia.
The travel expo is being held in various cities across Australia, including Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne. According to kompas.com, the ministry is taking part in the expo in four cities, namely Sydney on Feb. 2-3, Melbourne and Perth on Feb. 9-10, and Brisbane on Feb. 16-17. These cities were chosen as the largest numbers of Australian travelers visiting Indonesia come from there.
The ministry has invited 12 travel agents and companies to join the expo. During the exhibition, the agencies are given the opportunity to offer various travel packages directly to visitors.
In addition to promoting Indonesian tourism, the ministry is also showcasing traditional arts, such as the Cendrawasih dance from Bali and Bajidor Kahot from West Java, giving visitors a chance to get a closer look at Indonesian culture.
Besides the expo, the ministry is hosting business meetings with Australian travel agencies with at least 80 entrepreneurs confirming their attendance in each city.
Indonesian Consul General in Sydney Heru Hartanto Subolo, who attended the opening day in Sydney, stated his hope that the ministry’s participation in the expo could help in learning more about Australian tourists’ needs and interests, allowing the travel agents to offer travel packages suitable for their target audiences.
He also encouraged Indonesia to engage in further collaboration with Flight Centre.
“As a representative of the Indonesian government, I encourage a closer partnership between tourist industries, so the target of 1.5 million tourists from Australia can be achieved,” said Heru.
Courtesy: (thejakartapost.com)
