VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

PosIND (Pos Indonesia) introduced a new creative space for the people of Surabaya through the soft launching of Pos Bloc Surabaya, at the Pos Bloc Building, Jalan Kebonrojo, Surabaya City, on January 28. The soft launching of Pos Bloc Surabaya was held through the "Conseria Surabaya" event. This event marks the introduction of Pos Bloc Surabaya to the general public, that there is a creative hub space that can be enjoyed together. President Director of PT Pos Indonesia (Persero), Faizal R Djoemadi said that Pos Bloc Surabaya is Pos Indonesia's commitment to providing creative space for the community, both business actors, communities and other groups. He hopes that the presence of Pos Bloc Surabaya can boost the economy of the people of Surabaya.

Post Bloc Surabaya is on Jalan Kebon Rojo, Surabaya, precisely in the building that used to be the Surabaya Post Office. Built on an area of 13,950 m2, Pos Bloc is a creative space for holding various arts, cultural events, creative community meetings, entertainment, and curated MSME business empowerment. Not only as a creative space, Pos Bloc Surabaya is also a historical tourist destination because this building is a 1.5 century old Dutch cultural heritage site.

The Surabaya Post Bloc Building is also known for its history as the place where the First President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno attended Hogere Burgerschool (HBS). Therefore, Pos Bloc also presents the Soekarno Gallery as a form of memorabilia of the Proclaimer's footsteps in this building. Apart from that, there is also a Postal Gallery which displays postal items such as stamps, old postal items, and even motorbikes used by postmen.

President Director of PT Pos Indonesia Faizal Rochmad Djoemadi said that currently the renovation process for this building which is more than 100 years old has been completed. Currently, the party is in the curation process for MSME players who will later make Pos Bloc a showcase for their creative products. According to him, MSMEs will start joining next March.

Indonesia has abundant enchanting natural and cultural wealth. Not only customs and culture, tourist attractions in Indonesia also add to the wealth of this country which is situated on the equator line. Kalimantan Island, one of the islands that crosses the equator, also has extraordinary allurement. Borneo island, which has quite a large natural wealth, is one of the islands that must be explored for its natural beauty. One of the most beautiful places is located in the eastern part of the island. A magical place that is quite unique is here, called Labuan Cermin.

Neither a beach nor a mountain, this place is a beautiful lake that always amazes it's visitors. Labuan Cermin Lake is located in Labuan Kelambu Village in Biduk-biduk District, East Kalimantan, which can be reached by road in about 6 to 7 hours from the capital of Berau Regency, Tanjung Redeb, in East Kalimantan. The view around Labuan Cermin Lake is very calming. This lake is surrounded by lush trees which create a very cozy atmosphere, so it is very suitable as a tourist destination to escape for a moment from the crowds that are often encountered every day. It is said that local stakeholders are developing Labuan Cermin as a tourist destination, starting with designating this area as a conservation area, and now it has been completed with supporting facilities to help visitors easily enjoy the beauty of the lake whose water has two flavors.

Labuan Cermin Lake has very clear water, even the sea sand at the bottom of the lake can be seen clearly. Why is it called Labuan Cermin? Labuan Cermin has two layers on which the sunlight reflects. This happens because Lake Labuan Cermin has two types of water. The water from the surface of the lake tasted salty, while the water at the bottom of the lake is fresh water. These two types of water make the lake have a separating layer so that the water can reflect the light exposure. Some people call Labuan Cermin lake 'Danau Dia Rasa' which means 'Lake of Two Flavours'. In Labuan Cermin, visitors can do sorts of activities such as swimming, snorkeling and diving. When diving using snorkeling goggles, you will see some fish swimming not far from the surface and some far at the bottom. The different flavors of the water separate some kind of fishes. It makes easier to identify freshwater and saltwater fish.

The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid participated again in  the annual international tourism exhibition ” Feria Internacional de Turismo “  (FITUR) at IFEMA Madrid on  24-28 January 2024. As quoted by  a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid, Indonesia's participation in FITUR 2024 is an effort to take advantage of the recovering interest of the Spanish people in traveling abroad as well as the recovery of the Indonesian tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid also took advantage of the momentum of Indonesia's election as a member of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), representing the regional commission for East Asia and the Pacific for the period 2023-2027.

After the success of Indonesia's participation last year, the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid expressed its optimism that FITUR 2024 will open up greater opportunities to attract Spanish tourists to Indonesia. To market the wide choice of Indonesian destinations, the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid is collaborating with 10 tour operators and local tourism sector entrepreneurs. This tour operator has the opportunity to directly offer travel packages as well as the opportunity to establish contacts and work together in organizing groups of tourists on holiday to Indonesia, including 10 priority Indonesian destinations.

Furthermore, Indonesia's participation is carried out by using a government-private partnership scheme. This time,  the Indonesia's participation received good support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, as well as a number of leading brands. What is unique about the Indonesian pavilion this year is the presentation of a Coffee Bar which presents premium Indonesian coffee and Spanish models dressed in traditional Indonesian clothes. It is hoped that these tips will be supported by an integrated commitment from the Indonesian government and private sector to attract and increase visits by Spanish citizens and those who speak Spanish for holidays in Indonesia. FITUR is the most important tourism exhibition for the Ibero-American market, namely the Central and South American market which has historical proximity to Spain and Portugal. Along with the Mobile World Congress (MWC) which is held every end of February in Barcelona, FITUR which is held every January in Madrid is the largest international annual exhibition in Spain and the second largest in Europe.

As many as  8,500 companies and 131 countries have participated in FITUR 2023 which holds eight pavilions with a total exhibition area of 66,900 square meters.  In 2023, FITUR was visited by more than 222,000 individuals consisting of 136,000 professionals and 86,000 general people. FITUR last year also had an economic impact of 400 million euros profits for the city of Madrid. As in previous years, FITUR 2024 is divided into two sessions. FITUR for business actors in the tourism sector was opened on January 24-26, while FITUR for the general public was opened on January 27-28.//

The national airline Garuda Indonesia, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, held the Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair 2024 for the Japanese region, last Thursday 25 January. Garuda Indonesia’s Tokyo Deputy General Manager Carina Megarani in Tokyo, Thursday (25/1) said that the online event aims to increase demand for both Japanese and Indonesian citizens to travel to Indonesia.

The exhibition was held to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Garuda Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair 2024 started on January 15 by accessing travel agents selected by the airline. The event was attended by more than 70 travel agents, tour operators, media and other Japanese tourism industry players.

Coordinator of the Information, Social and Cultural Functions of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, Meinarti Fauzie, explained that the event aims to strengthen Indonesia's image as a tourist destination of choice for Japanese citizens. According to Meinarti, Indonesia, with its stunning natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage and warm hospitality, has always been one of the destinations of choice for foreign tourists. It is hoped that this Travel Fair can become a forum for travel agents, tour operators and prospective Japanese tourists to know more and strengthen the interest of tourist to visit Indonesia.

The tourist destinations promoted are super priority destinations, including Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara and Likupang in North Sulawesi. During the event, it was also announced Garuda's flight routes, namely Narita-Denpasar which operates every day and Haneda-Jakarta four times a week, as well as potential cooperation for super priority tourism. The activity was enlivened by performances of traditional Indonesian arts, the Cendrawasih Dance from Bali and the Tortor Batak Dance by the Nusantara Indonesia group.