VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

North Sulawesi will hold the Bunaken Festival in Manado on July 17-20, 2019, to the tourists who share the maritime border with the Philippines.

"I am optimistic that this festival will be able to attract North Sulawesi's tourists and visit," the provincial administration's secretary of the North Sulawesi, stated here, on Wednesday.

The Bunaken Festival is 2019 included in the 100 Wonder of Events designated by the Tourism Ministry. A food festival, traditional music and dance live aboard the Bunaken Sail trip, fishing contest, coast clean-up, Underwater Photography competition, and triathlon will be featured.

The tourism ministry has named North Sumatra's tourism sector for 2019, as its tourism industry has a growth of 600 percent over the past four years.

Some 120 thousand tourists have visited North Sulawesi in 2018, rising notably from some 20 thousand in 2015, 40 thousand in 2016, and 80 thousand in 2017.

The number of domestic tourists visiting the province has increased by two million, from two million to four million. The Indonesian government had held the international maritime event from Sail Bunaken in 2009 as part of the Sail Indonesia series. 

Bunaken is an island spanning 8.08 square kilometers in the Bay of Manado, situated in the north of the island of Sulawesi. North Sulawesi is known for its Bunaken National Marine Park covering an area of ​​75,265 hectares. The five islands of Naen, Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, and small islands around it.

The Bunaken national sea park has abundance of fish and coral species and at least 20 diving spots of varying depths. The park is located near the center of the Coral Triangle, a habitat offering for 390 species of coral as well as numerous fish, reptilian and marine mammalian varieties. (ant) 

The winners of the 2019 Good Design Indonesia (GDI) event are ready to advance to the G-Mark international design competition on July 30 - August 1, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. The winner of GDI is divided into three titles, namely GDI of the Year, GDI Best, and GDI. Trophies and certificates for the winners were handed over directly by the Director General of National Export Development Arlinda, on behalf of the Minister
Indonesian Trade Enggartiasto Lukita, at the Ministry of Trade, Jakarta, Wednesday (6/26).

The winning products of GDI 2019 will be displayed at the 34th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) at BSD Serpong Indonesia Convention & Exhibition (ICE), Tangerang, Banten, on 16-20 October 2019. At the exhibition, the Ministry of Trade through the Directorate General of Export Development National will provide a special pavilion for GDI winning products.

"Publication through TEI is one of the efforts of the Ministry of Trade to promote GDI products. The product design that has been produced is expected to have added value and high competitiveness in the international market. So that it becomes one of the key drivers of national non-oil and gas exports," Arlinda explained

Indonesia's achievements in the G-Mark 2018 A total of seven Indonesian products won the 62nd G-Mark award in 2018. Seventh
the product consists of one product that won 20 G-Mark Best and six G-Mark Good Design winning products. The 20 Best G-Mark Best products are Bamboo Bikes, while the winning products of GMark Good Design are Armchair painting chairs, Daihatsu Terios, Bamboo Batik Stole fabrics, Dashdot Air Ventilators, charcoal drawings and Cold Drip Coffee Maker.

"Hopefully this year more Indonesian products will get an award at the G-Mark 2019. The title of G-Mark makes Indonesian products easier to enter global markets, especially Japan," concluded Arlinda. (kemendag)

The Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) encourages sustainable tourism development programs or Sustainable Tourism Develompent becomes a priority program.

Deputy of Industry and Institutional Development Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani during the '2019 Sustainable Tourism Certification Kick Off' at the Pullman Hotel, Jakarta, Wednesday (6/26/2019) said the principle of Sustainable Tourism Certification was carried out to ensure auditing performance and conformity assessment and responsibility in the application of sustainable tourism.

"As a model and best practices, for 2019 it is still limited to five locations. For 2020 and beyond, we encourage destinations and industries that will participate in the implementation of sustainable tourism, "he said.

In its implementation, continued Giri, certification will be carried out by the IST-Council. Triningsih Herlinawati, Head of the BSN Certification Institution Accreditation Center, with standards that must be met, including ISO / IEC 17065: 2012.

"In addition, the division of roles must also be clearly described to avoid the Conflict of Interest," Giri said.

On the same occasion, there was also IST-Council Chair I Gede Ardika who explained that Indonesia is an example or benchmark at the UNWTO level in implementing standards and criteria compiled by UNWTO for realistic sustainable tourism.

"Certification of sustainable tourism is a concrete manifestation of the implementation of sustainable tourism at both national and international levels," said I Gede Ardika. (kemenpar)

Indonesia and Argentina agreed to form a joint working group trade and investment sector (Working Group on Trade and Investment / WGTI). This matter
marked by the signing of a joint statement about the formation of a working group trade and investment in Jakarta today, Tuesday (26/6). This joint statement
signed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Trade Karyanto Suprih and Ambassador of Argentina to Indonesia Ricardo Luis Bocalandro on the sidelines of the President's  Argentina Mauricio Macri visit to Indonesia.

"Argentina is the second largest trading partner for Indonesia in the South American region. However, trade relations have not shown their true potential. Then it is important for both countries to take concrete steps as an effort to improve relations trade in Indonesia and Argentina, "said Karyanto. According to Karyanto, this joint statement is a legal umbrella for the formation of the WGTI between Indonesia and Argentina. "Both Governments believe that WGTI is the beginning both for Indonesia and Argentina to establish a routine means of communication between the two countries as an effort to increase and reduce trade barriers, especially non barriers rates, "he said.

Director of Bilateral Negotiations Ni Made Ayu Marthini added, the formation of WGTI Indonesia-Argentian aims to improve relations in developing and
strengthen bilateral cooperation. Strengthening this cooperation includes the exchange of information trade and investment policies of both countries, increased trade and investment, as well as support for businesses through providing information on the business environment in the both country.  

"In its implementation, the WGTI consists of representatives of the government, business people, and institutions research to bridge trade barriers that exist between the two countries. Furthermore, the first meeting of the Indonesia-Argentina WGTI is planned to be held on "in the second trimester of 2020," Made said.

In 2018, the total trade in Argentina and Indonesia reached USD 1.68 billion. Export Indonesia to Argentina in that year was recorded at USD 238.34 million with products mainstay of exports include natural rubber, combustion piston engines, parts and accessories motorized vehicles, as well as footwear. While in the same period Indonesian imports were from Argentina was recorded at USD 1.44 billion with imported products including cake (pulp) soybeans), wheat, corn, cotton, and steel pipes. 

In 2018 Argentine investment in Indonesia was recorded at USD 137.5 thousand consisting of four projects. This value rose 12.5 percent from the previous year which was recorded at USD 122.5 thousand and consists of eight projects. Agentina's investment in Indonesia is one of them located at West Nusa Tenggara Province in the field of providing accommodation, sports activities, and recreation. (kemendag)