VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio shared some insights to help the travel industry regain its power after the coronavirus pandemic. He encouraged travel agents to have digital platforms, as he predicted a surge in tourism once the pandemic is over. He also urged the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) to have a digital platform, as it is considered essential in the travel ecosystem. The minister said he was coordinating with various stakeholders in tourism to be prepared for a surge in tourists by formulating promotional plans. He also noted a new trend in tourism brought by the outbreak as the landscape will be reformed in terms of health and comfort//JP

An Amorphophallus titanum, or carrion flower, has bloomed at Cibodas Botanical Garden managed by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in West Java's Cianjur District on Saturday, May 2. Destri, a researcher of the Plant Conservation Centre at the garden, said in a statement received here on Sunday that it is the sixth time for the flower to bloom, after its first blossom in 2003 and last blossom in 2017. Yet, blossom this time was considered interesting as the flower did not experience dormancy. The carrion flowers at Cibodas Botanical Garden originally grows in Sungai Manau, Batang Seliti, Kerinci Seblat National Park in West Sumatra, and have been planted there since 2000//Ant

The Indonesian Zoo Association (PKBSI) has launched an online fundraiser asking members of the public to help feed thousands of animals in captivity across the country as zoo revenue all but disappears during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign – called Food for Animals – is seeking funds to improve the living conditions of animals in Indonesian zoos, especially those endemic to the country, such as the Sumatran tiger, the Bornean orangutan, and the Sumatran elephant. It went on to say that every donation it received would be immediately distributed to the zoos that were most affected by the ongoing health and economic crisis//JP

Telecommunications satellites Express-80 and Express-103 will be launched on July 30, the Proton-M carrier rocket needed for the launch will be repaired by June, a space industry source said. The repair schedule at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre, stipulates sending the Proton-M to the Baikonur cosmodrome, at the start of this summer. In April, three Proton-M heavy-lift launch vehicles, designated for launching satellites from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, were returned to the Khrunichev Centre in Moscow. According to the Russian Satellite Communications Company, the Express-103 satellite is designed to provide a package of communications services, such as digital TV, telephony, videoconferencing, data transmission, Internet access, and to deploy satellite networks by applying VSAT technology//Sputnik