VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno says that Indonesia's Chairmanship at the 2023 ASEAN becomes an opportunity to strengthen and promote Indonesia's tourism potential.

During his working visit to Malang, East Java, on Sunday, the minister noted that Indonesia's chairmanship is an opportunity to prove that Indonesia's domestic tourism sector is the best in the region.

"This is our opportunity to show that our domestic tourism is superior in the ASEAN region," he emphasized.

He believes that Indonesia's tourism sector is currently considered superior when compared to other ASEAN member countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. He said that Indonesia's tourism potential is considered very large.

With the very promising potential of the tourism sector, it must become the main focus to revive the Indonesian economy which was previously hit by the pandemic, he added.

"Let us focus on our tourism industry for our economic revival and provide economic solutions for the people," he said.

Specifically in the Greater Malang area, Uno said there are a number of tourist villages that have been receiving national and international awards with promising potential.

One of them is the Pujon Kidul Tourism Village in Malang District, which received the 2021 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI) for the Inspirational Independent Village Category.

There was also Sanankerto Village which won third place in the Tourism Attraction Village category and received appreciation from international forums for its participation in the 5th ASEAN Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Awards in 2022.

"Therefore, I also encourage other tourism, not only in East Java but throughout Indonesia, to become a world-class tourism village," he said.

As an effort to improve the quality of the tourist village, Uno emphasized that the government will provide assistance to existing tourism and strengthen the promotional effort to optimize its potentials.

"We will provide mentoring training and the Indonesian Tourism Village Award program will promote it. With this effort, we hope more tourists will come, both foreign and domestic," he said.

On that occasion, the minister visited the Kayutangan Heritage Village in Malang City, one of the 75 Indonesian Tourism Villages in 2023. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto ensured that the preparations of Indonesia as the official partner country at the world's largest industrial technology exhibition, Hannover Messe 2023, had been completed.

As quoted from a press release on Sunday, he visited the Indonesian National Pavilion at Hall 2 of the exhibition venue, along with Industry Minister Gumiwang Kartasasmita.

They also visited several other halls of the exhibition and the venue of the opening ceremony of the event at the Hannover Congress Center.

The opening ceremony will be held on Sunday in Hannover, Germany, at 6:00 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, the exhibition will run from April 17 to 21, 2023.

The Indonesian government involves 157 co-exhibitors to promote their products at the pavilion, including business entities, associations, industrial areas, special economic zones, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), lending agencies, ministries, and public institutions.

The government chose the theme "Infinite Journey" for the exhibition this year to describe Indonesia's journey towards a limitless future with a spirit of optimism and broad future potential.

With this tagline, Indonesia targets that participation in the Hannover Messe 2023 can increase inclusive sustainability, develop technology, and support a circular economy.

Kartasasmita, who arrived in Germany on Friday (April 14, 2023), said that he believed that Indonesia could secure a lot of investment cooperation during the implementation of the Hannover Messe 2023.

He made the statement after attending the signing of a business-to-business (B2B) cooperation contract worth US$2 billion (Rp30.58 trillion), ahead of the opening of the Hannover Messe 2023.

"After Hannover Messe 2023 is inaugurated on April 16, 2023, more investment cooperation from various companies will continue to enter Indonesia," he remarked.

The Industry Ministry has highlighted four main targets that Indonesia is keen to achieve at the exhibition.

They include presenting the roadmap for Making Indonesia 4.0, fostering industrial cooperation, promoting foreign investment and exports, and improving bilateral relations with the host country of the exhibition, Germany. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The number of passengers traveling at Soekarno-Hatta (Soetta) International Airport, Tangerang, on the seventh day ahead of Eid al-Fitr increased by 45 percent compared to last year.

Based on data obtained from the 2023 Integrated Eid al-Fitr Transportation Post at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, the total number of passengers on April 15, 2023, was recorded at 142,186 people while the number of passengers on D-7 Eid last year was recorded at 98,227 people.

"There has been an increase in the number of passengers because there is no restriction on community mobility (PPKM). The government has also eased rules related to traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic," the Senior Manager of Branch Communication and Legal at Soekarno-Hatta Airport M Holik Muwardi said in Tangerang, Sunday.

In detail, the number of passengers who departed from the airport was recorded at 77,047 people, up 53 percent from the same period last year, which was 50,477 people, he added.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers arriving at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on April 15, 2023, was recorded at 65,112 people, or a 36 percent increase from last year's passengers with 47,750 people, he continued.

He stated that on the other hand, there was an increase of 20 percent in air traffic. On April 15, 2023, the number of flights was recorded at 1,002 aircraft. While the record number of flights for the same period last year was 837 aircraft.

In addition, a total of 500 aircraft departing from Soekarno-Hatta Airport were recorded, an increase of 17 percent from last year's record with 426 aircraft. Meanwhile, 502 aircraft were recorded arriving at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, up 22 percent from last year's total of 411 aircraft, he said.

Muwardi said that Soekarno-Hatta Airport has predicted an increase in the number of passengers and traffic during this year's Eid homecoming. Therefore, Soekarno-Hatta Airport has prepared a number of anticipatory steps, for example by re-operating Sub Terminal 1B to avoid passenger overcrowding.

Apart from that, the airport also has strengthened the readiness of supporting facilities and deployed additional security personnel in the terminal area. The additional security personnel also consist of members of the National Police (Polri) and Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) apart from the airport's internal staff, he disclosed. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) encouraged all local governments to immediately provide additional food for pregnant women and children under five years old, ahead of simultaneous children's examinations in August 2023.

"Spend the budget that has been allocated to expedite the reduction of stunting soon," Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo remarked in a statement on Sunday.

In a virtual roadshow for stunting reduction acceleration held in collaboration with the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, he invited the local governments to use BKKBN’s data to improve their stunting reduction program and become more on target.

Although many provinces have smaller stunting prevalence rates than the national rate, which reaches 21.6 percent according to the Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI) 2022, the rates in each province may increase again due to poverty.

For instance, the stunting prevalence rate in Bangka Belitung Islands Province was recorded at 18.5 percent; however, 0.82 percent of its population lived in poverty, according to Statistics Indonesia’s (BPS) data in 2022.

Hence, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy also emphasized that the local government should optimize the village fund for handling stunting and extreme poverty.

The handling of stunting and extreme poverty greatly depends on the ability of the village heads to manage their village funds to overcome the problems as well as ensure food security, he said.

The coordinating minister appealed to the local government to maintain good collaboration with civil servants, the military, police, and private companies in Bangka Belitung Island Province to run the foster parents for stunted children program.

"Involve the corporations. I have not heard of any district or city governments (in Bangka Belitung Islands Province) that have involved companies in their respective regions (to run the program). The enterprises should be required to become companies that pay attention to stunting," he remarked.

Acting Governor of Bangka Belitung Islands Suganda Pandapotan Pasaribu noted a number of challenges in handling stunting, including the limited capability of program implementers as well as inadequate data quality, management, and utilization.

In addition, a number of indicators and targets of ministries and agencies are not aligned with Presidential Regulation Number 72 of 2021 on Stunting Reduction Acceleration, he continued.

Hence, his party continues to innovate by implementing various programs, such as Pelita (Care for Mothers, Babies, and Toddlers) Stunting Program in Pangkal Pinang City, Ambong (Assistance and Additional Food Intake for Toddlers and Pregnant Women) in Belitung District, and Hidropenting (Hydroponics for Overcoming Stunting) in Central Bangka District. (Antaranews)