VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The grand event of the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta - Palembang which will be held in August is expected to provide great benefits to Indonesia. One of them is the direct economic impact on various sectors. Chairman of the 2018 Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) Erick Thohir, explained that the 2018 Asian Games will provide legacy and bring a big positive impact for Indonesia in terms of economy. Based on the preliminary calculations of the National Development Planning Agency Bappenas economic impact of visitors expenditure during their stay in Indonesia for the 2018 Asian Games amounted to Rp 3.6 Trillion with 88 percent coming from spectators and tourists, followed by athletes, media crew, officials', and volunteer expenditure. Accommodation is estimated to be the largest expenditure component that reaches 1.3 trillion rupiah. Chairman of the Organizing Committee Asian Games 2018-INASGOC Erick Thohir in a press conference in Jakarta, Wednesday (30/05/2018)said the expected visitor spending also included the purchase of the 2018 Asian Games official merchandise.

Director of Merchandise of Asian Games 2018 Organizing Committee Mochtar Sarman said that the Committee prioritizes small and medium enterprises to become licensed official merchandise.This is an effort in promoting domestic products to the world. The 2018 Asian Games Organizing Committee has selected 17 companies and national SMEs as licensors to produce and sell the 2018 Asian Games official merchandise. Mochtar explains, 17 licensors had gone through a rigorous selection process related to the quality and originality of the product and the strength of the distribution network. In addition, the license holders must have the ability to absorb partners and empower the partners of UMKM and have good company credibility.

On the merchandise design side, Chief Executive of Asian Games - Erick Thohir explained that the whole products of the merchandiseare the work of Indonesians . Through the Asian Games, INASGOC strives to make Indonesian producers and designers rise globally. Interestingly, Erick explained that there is no State Expenditure Budget fund that is used for merchandise production, since it is done by partners with a profit-sharing scheme. Currently, the 2018 Asian Games official merchandise has been sold on the official website of the 2018 Asian Games, more than 2,000 franchise shopping centers, online shopping portals and official booths spread across several malls. INASGOC appealed to the people of Indonesia to always buy official merchandise, because the proceeds from the sale will be directly submitted to the country.