The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Chicago exhibited the beauty of Indonesian tourism at a travel exhibition in the city in collaboration with three diaspora entrepreneurs in the United States. The Consulate General in Chicago in a written statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/2) stated that the people of the United States showed a high desire to travel again based on a poll in 2022. It showed that 93.3 percent of respondents plan to travel within 1 year ahead.
Following up on the trend, the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago also participated in the 2022 Chicago and Travel Show exhibition which is one of the largest travel exhibition events in the United States with no less than 20,000 visitors annually. The Consulate also stated that at the event, the Indonesian booth was filled with two travel agents namely BaliDia & Voyage2Paradise and batik shop My Batik Shop. Indonesian booths were decorated with handmade decorations, particularly imported ones from Indonesia. The Indonesian Consul General in Chicago, Meri Binsar Simorangkir explained that the event provides a good opportunity to promote Indonesia, particularly with the reopening of Bali and the Riau Islands for foreign tourists.
According to the Indonesian Consulate General's report, the visitors who came to the Indonesian booth asked a lot of questions, particularly related to entry requirements to Indonesia, the type of visa needed, and the type of hotel for quarantine. The visitors also chose various Indonesian souvenirs, such as silver jewelry, home decoration, coconut shells, and batik of various colors brought from Indonesia.