VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Deputy Head of the Indonesian Representative Office in Vienna, Akio Alfiano Tamala, is optimistic that Indonesia-Austria relations are becoming stronger considering the seventy years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"Regarding how the two countries relation is developed, especially in the context of these 70 years, I am optimistic that relations between Indonesia and Austria in the future will be closer, increasingly improving, and both countries can certainly benefit from this good relationship," said Akio Alfiano to Voice of Indonesia, Tuesday (5/3) in Jakarta.

Akio believes that diplomatic relations between the two countries are getting stronger due to various factors such as the similarity of the Non-Aligned principles adhered to by both countries.

"I think there are actually three capitals that we can use as opportunities to improve relations, especially politically, as stated earlier, the two countries shared similarities, neutrality so that they can both stand in the same position, to discuss, to sit down and talk about world problems will also be more convenient because they have same principles," he said.

Apart from that, Akio assessed that the interest of the Indonesian-Austrian people in getting to know each other's culture is also an asset for improving bilateral relations.

"(Besides) people-to-people contact (between the people of the two countries), they also intensively promote music, through classical music of course in Indonesia," continued Akio.

"And then the last thing is that we hope that with (the optimization of) this port, economically our relations with Austria will further improve our trade relations with Austria," said Akio Alfiano.

Akio Alfiano Tamala outlined the prospects for cooperation between Indonesia and Austria, including in the fields of environmental technology, law and tourism.

"They have a waste processing building in the middle of the city that is odorless, clean, and the building is even unique, (the design of a building) made unique so that it attracts tourists to take photos. "These may also be things we can explore to develop cooperation," he said.

In addition, according to Akio Alfiano Tamala, cooperation in the legal sector can be carried out considering that Austria is a pioneer in constitutional law in the world. In the tourism sector, Indonesia and Austria are world-class tourist destinations with their characteristics. It is recorded that approximately 40 million total tourists visit Austria every year.

"And I think maybe Indonesia can exchange ideas, can discuss with Austria how to improve tourism, tourism management, the tourism industry, including promotion, because we know, for example, here in Austria there is something called the city of Hallstatt for example, which was promoted as filming location for the film Frozen," he said. (VOI/Daniel)

East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara has a natural tourism spot which is worth visited, namely Tanggedu Waterfall. Tanggedu Waterfall is also often called as the "Grand Canyon" of East Sumba, because of its location between beautiful cliffs. The location is in Tanggedu Village, Kanatang sub district, about 46 kilometers from Waingapu City, the capital of East Sumba. To arrive at Tanggedu Waterfall, it takes approximately two hours from Waingapu. During the trip, the visitors can enjoy beautiful panoramic view. From Tanggedu village, Tanggedu Waterfall can be reached through a 3 kilometre’s trek.

Tanggedu Waterfall is open daily from 08.00 AM to 17.00 PM local time. The entrance ticket price is 5,000 Rupiah. Upon their arrival at Tanggedu Waterfall, visitors will be greeted by the sound of gurgling water flowing from a height of about eight meters. There are two waterfalls from different river flows. The water is very clear and clean, so you can see the blue bottom of the pool. This pool is quite wide and shallow, so visitors can swim or do body raft.

Besides swimming, please visitors can also capture the moment by taking photos. Tanggedu Waterfall provides several interesting natural photo backdrops. Each background provides a unique image. Visitors can pose with a waterfall in the background. The photo angle that is no less interesting is the background of the rock cliffs on the left and right banks of the river. Apart from that, the bathing pool with various coloured rock reliefs around it is a beautiful photo spot. For facilities, a restaurant and bathrooms are available there.

Australia – Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Salahudin Uno paid a working visit on Tuesday (20/02) to Melbourne to promote Indonesian tourism and explore potential collaboration with stakeholders in Victoria.

Quoting a press statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy's working visit began with a tour of the "Wonderful Indonesia" pavilion in the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) series which took place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia. The 'Wonderful Indonesia' pavilion presents a number of Indonesian Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events (MICE) industry players. On this occasion, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy met with the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and discussed potential cooperation in the MICE sector.

During his visit to Victoria, Sandiaga also met with Minister Steve Dimopoulos MP, Minister Tim Pallas MP, and Hamish Anderson from SportNXT to discuss Indonesia's collaboration with Victoria in tourism and cultural exchange, especially through sports and entertainment events. In addition, Sandiaga Uno also met with the Indonesian Culinary Association in Victoria (ICAV) to talk about Indonesian culinary diplomacy through the Indonesia Spice Up the World (ISUTW) program.

Sandiaga Uno accompanied by the Indonesian Consul General, Kuncoro Waseso, as quoted in the press release of the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, visited a number of Indonesian restaurants such as Garam Merica, Cinta, Beku Gelato, Kantin, D'bakmi, and Martabak Pecenongan 78. Besides enjoying Indonesian culinary delights at land of kangaroos, Sandiaga Uno discusses with restaurant owners regarding the development of the Indonesian culinary business in Australia. “Minister Sandi really supports our business development. "When I conveyed my plans for expansion in Australia and the possibility of opening a store in Indonesia, he was even supportive so that I could prioritize opening a store in Indonesia," said Agusta Triwahyu, Beku Gelato owner.

Ending his visit, Sandiaga Uno greeted the Indonesian diaspora at the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, and deliberated the role of the Indonesian Diaspora in boosting foreign tourist visits, especially from Australia, which has increased since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. "These diaspora friends have a huge influence in promoting Indonesia to foreign communities. "Therefore, today I want to inaugurate all my friends who were present as Indonesian cultural ambassadors in Victoria," said Sandi.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Kuwait, according to World Bank data, reached USD 49,400 in 2022. This amount is equivalent to the purchasing power of Kuwaiti people, which is almost three times three times the average purchasing power of the world population. Economic growth and high purchasing power make Kuwait an attractive market for MSMEs from Indonesia. Quoted from Antara, Deputy Minister of Trade (Wamendag) Jerry Sambuaga believes that Kuwait can become a potential export market for Indonesia, because almost 95 percent of its domestic needs are supplied from abroad.

Chargé d'Affaires of the Kuwait Embassy to Indonesia, Abdullah Alfadhli, in a special interview with Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (15/02) in Jakarta said that the Kuwaiti Embassy in Jakarta and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait are working to open up opportunities for Indonesian MSMEs to enter the Kuwaiti market. “There is no doubt that coordination continues between Kuwait and the Republic of Indonesia in various sectors. We, the Kuwaiti embassy in Jakarta, as well as the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait, are working seriously to open up opportunities for MSMEs and large industries. If synergy between the two countries is realized and workshops continue to be held for small business groups, there is no doubt (this) will open up opportunities for investors and small and medium businesses to enter Kuwait," explained Abdullah Alfadhli.

Abdullah Alfadhli emphasized that Kuwait is a market that is open to all. "The State of Kuwait is an open market, which always accepts all ethnic groups, especially brotherly countries to us like the Republic of Indonesia," continued Abdullah Alfadhli. However, the Kuwaiti Embassy in Jakarta gives some notes for Indonesian MSME products in order to be well accepted in the Kuwaiti market. “First of all, the product must well match the needs of the Kuwaiti market. In this context, Indonesia is working very seriously in developing the halal industrial sector. I personally participated in several halal exhibitions. The market for halal products is a leading market that is very well accepted by Kuwaiti people," concluded Abdullah Alfadhli to Voice of Indonesia.