Indonesia presents its cultural diversity at ITB 2013 as the country will be the official partner of ITB 2013.
BERLIN/JAKARTA – From 6 to 10 March 2013, Indonesia presents itself as official partner country of ITB 2013. At the Indonesian Pavilion in Hall 26, visitors can experience the cultural and natural diversity of the island nation: Untouched jungle, endless sandy beaches, diverse dive sites, stunning volcanic landscapes, vibrant cities and centuries old traditions and cultures are the tourist attractions of the more than 17,000 tropical islands of the world’s largest archipelago. At the tourism fair in Berlin, Indonesia presents itself with an impressive stand: A traditional sailing ship, a Pinisi schooner, is set up. Indonesian fine dining, dancing and traditional spa treatments represent the best part of the holiday paradise Indonesia.
The stand is officially opened during an opening ceremony on the morning of 6th March. Tourism Minister Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu will present their country as the official partner of ITB 2013, before the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, welcomes the Minister and the representatives of the country in Berlin. The opening ceremony as well as the closing ceremony at the end of the fair – on Sunday afternoon in the Palais at Funkturm – are accompanied by traditional dances and music.
The focus of the fair presentation will be on culture and tradition, nature and ecotourism, recreational sports, cruises, cuisine and shopping, spa and wellness and the MICE business. A delegation of more than 120 participants from over 20 regions will represent Indonesia in Berlin – from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, Bali, Lombok, Flores and Komodo to Papua.
At the center of the Indonesian booth stands a Pinisi schooner, a typical two-mast sailing ship made totally from wood. It is currently manufactured at the beaches of Bulukumba in South Sulawesi – true to the centuries-old craftmanship of the Buginese, passed down from generation to generation. Traditionally, Pinisi schooners served as cargo ships in Indonesia, nowadays they are also popular with tourists for extraordinary discovery cruises, for example, in the waters of Nusa Tenggara and the Moluccas, or they are converted into live-aboard dive boats to sail the species-rich dive sites at Raja Ampat and Komodo.
At the world’s largest tourism fair, traditional dances and musical performances of various regions give insight into more than 700 different languages and cultures of the 300 ethnic groups in the island nation. For example, the Pakarena is a ritual dance of Makassar, South Sulawesi, telling about the rhythm of life and the relationship with God. The fiery Kecak dance represents Bali in the programme and the Dayak dances stand for Kalimantan (Borneo). Walking Acts of various folklore groups spread Indonesian atmosphere around Hall 26 during all fair trade days.
Culinary delights offer a taste of Indonesia’s diverse cuisine, served as an exotic “Culinary Heaven” by Vindex Tengker, chef at the 5-star Hotel Dharmawangsa in Jakarta. Indonesian Arabica coffees from Toraja, Aceh and Lampung awaken the spirits of exhausted visitors during long days at the fair.
The topic of wellbeing is of course represented at the Indonesian ITB pavilion, as the “wellness culture” had but originated over 1,000 years ago on the island of Java: The Sari Ayu Spa ensures relaxation with traditional applications using aromatic spices. The massages are free on all days for trade visitors.
Indonesia shows its presence even outside the exhibition center: in an exhibition at the Humboldt Box at Berlin’s Schlossplatz during the fair days, hand-woven Indonesian fabrics and batik textiles, for which many of the Southeast Asian islands are world famous, can be admired.
The tourism sector is one of the most important economic factors in Indonesia with some 3.2 million people being employed in tourism. The industry has been booming for years with the total number of visitors increasing up to December 2012 by over five percent to 8 million holiday makers.
In the future, the Minister of Tourism wants to particularly strengthen the far less touristy developed regions. 80 destinations have been selected and in a first step, the ministry will focus on 16 destinations, which will be developed over the next three years in terms of public transport and tourist infrastructure: the grand Buddhist temple of Borobudur (Central Java), Old Town of Jakarta (West Java), Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Flores and Komodo (East Nusa Tenggara), Toraja (South Sulawesi) Tanjung Puting (orang utan national park in Kalimantan) and diving destinations such as Wakatobi, Derawan or Raja Ampat.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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