Feature

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has prepared a number of World Water Forum Side Events in Bali

2024-04-29T01:03:11+07:00

Indonesia is hosting the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) which will take place in Bali from 18 to 25 May 2024. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is preparing a number of side events and other interesting activities to support the event "The 10th World Water Forum 2024". One of the side events is the Melukat procession. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will facilitate delegates to experience the melukat procession which specifically has spiritual meaning for the Balinese people. This melukat procession will later involve the local regional government.

This melukat procession is very closely related to the principle of life, which is adhered to by the Balinese people regarding Tri Hita Karana which builds a harmonious relationship between humans and God, with each other, and with nature.

Water is a natural resource that needs to be preserved. Because water is a driving source of life for all. This meaning is in line with the mission that the World Water Forum wants to carry out.

Apart from that, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, in collaboration with Jejak.in, will also offer a package for calculating the amount of carbon emissions, which will be issued by the delegates via a carbon footprint calculator during their trip to Bali. The aim is for the delegation to contribute to environmental sustainability through mangrove planting and coral reef restoration.

Then, in the Indonesia Pavilion at the World Water Forum, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will provide tourism content with virtual reality (VR), selling low carbon tour packages, a series of fairs & expos, providing Wonderful Indonesia souvenirs and goodie bags, presenting content and activating the game, namely "Lokapala ", to exhibiting and selling selected and quality MSME products through planograms.

Batu Lapis Beach in Lampung

2024-04-29T01:00:58+07:00

Batu Lapis Beach is one of the beaches in Totoharjo Village, Bakauheni District, South Lampung Regency. It is pretty unique because on the edge of this beach there are layers of rocks, not like other beaches which are usually a stretch of sand. Batu Lapis Beach, which is a natural wonder in Lampung Province, is filled with very beautiful rocks and it gives the impression that the stones are arranged. The structure of stacked rocks on this beach has earned this beach the nickname Batu Lapis Beach which means layers of rocks.

This unique layers of rock have different colors. Visitors not only can enjoy the natural beauty around the beach, looking at the blue and clear sea, they can also spend time taking photos on this amazing coral rock. Layered coral rocks that form naturally make this place unique. The coral rocks, which surface has been eroded by the waves and some of which have split, actually create a truly amazing view. The waves at this beach are quite high, so visitors are not allowed to swim.

The location of Batu Lapis beach is somewhat hidden yet not far from the city center Kalianda. It is only around 26 km away, while from the provincial capital, Bandar Lampung it is approximately 86 km.

Indonesia and Nauru Strengthen Relations by Promoting the Principle of Equality

2024-04-29T00:59:02+07:00

The Indonesian Ambassador to Nauru, Dupito D. Simamora, handed over letters of credence to the President of the Republic of Nauru, David Ranibok Waiau Adeang, at the Nauru Presidential Palace. They also agreed on a commitment to strengthen relations by upholding the principle of equality. The Indonesian Embassy in Suva in its official statement received in Jakarta on Saturday (20/4/2024) stated that both parties agreed to respect and trust each other. These attitudes and principles are expected to be reflected in the policies of the two countries as well as within the framework of the Pacific Islands Forum of which Nauru is a full temporary member of Indonesia as a dialogue partner. The visit was also used to strengthen relations of both countries bilaterally, in the Pacific region and also share interests at the global level such as educational cooperation, handling climate change and collaboration among communities. Overall, the event of handing over the credentials was used effectively to improve mutual understanding, concrete future cooperation, and innovation to strengthen cooperation between the people of the two countries and protect Indonesian citizens and the Indonesian diaspora.

Moreover, during his visit, Ambassador Simamora and the Indonesian Embassy in Suva entourage also held meetings with important figures in Nauru, including the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nauru's Minister of Education and Climate Change and other high-ranking officials. Discussion regarding the potential for increased cooperation in the field of education and climate change is a priority, including the provision of scholarships including the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship to support human resource development and better mutual understanding between the two countries.

Furthermore, during his visit in Nauru, the Indonesian Ambassador also held a separate meeting with alumni of Indonesian scholarship recipients from Nauru who work in various sectors including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The alumni had a deep positive impression while participating in the program in Indonesia and suggested that Indonesia would like to continue involving Nauruan youth in the future. The delegation also visited and kept in touch with Indonesian citizens and Indonesian diaspora families who live in Nauru. Indonesian diaspora families who are also large entrepreneurs in Nauru also conveyed opportunities for placing Indonesian workers in several sectors in Nauru. To be able to continue maintain good relations of both countries, they also carried out initial exploration regarding the possibility of Indonesia having an honorary consul in Nauru// that’s Diplomatic Corner.

Bandung and Melbourne sign Memorandum of Understanding on inter-city cooperation

2024-04-29T00:52:47+07:00

The city governments of Bandung West Java Indonesia and Melbourne Australia represented by officials from each city signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Melbourne Town Hall Melbourne Monday (22/4). The signing was carried out by the Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp AO and the Person in Charge of the Mayor of Bandung Bambang Tirtoyuliono/ who signed the document separately in Bandung.

The signing was also witnessed by the Indonesian Consul General to Victoria and Tasmania Kuncoro Giri Waseso Assistant for the Economy and Development of Bandung city Eric Mohamad Atthauriq and a number of delegates from the Bandung city government.

A statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne received in Jakarta Wednesday (24/4/2024) said the MoU is intended to form cooperation and develop relations that are effective and mutually beneficial.

There are five agreed areas of cooperation namely smart cities economy and trade higher education training and capacity building livable cities and urban resilience.

After signing the memorandum the Bandung and Melbourne City governments held a meeting to discuss educational cooperation the development of innovation and pioneering companies the existence of a multicultural society and the use of technology in city management. Both parties also agreed that the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding must be able to strengthen existing cooperation.

Before the memorandum was signed the two cities already had active cooperation including through the Bandung-Melbourne Innovation Event Social Impact in 2022 the participation of the Bandung city regional government in the 2021 Victoria Cleantech Expo as well as the collaboration of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade State Government Victoria and the Melbourne City Government in organizing E-Commerce and Cyber Security training for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

As an implementation of the memorandum of mutual understanding both the cities of Bandung and Melbourne will share experiences related to the implementation of daily city operations pitch competitions knowledge exchange arts and culture cooperation student exchanges as well as two-way trade and investment promotion.

Prior to the signing the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne also facilitated a meeting between the Bandung City Government Delegation and the Indonesian Culinary Association of Victoria. At the meeting both parties discussed possible collaboration in the future including the participation of the city government Bandung in gastronomic promotion activities in Victoria exploring business opportunities such as exporting spices and handicraft goods from Bandung as well as expanding restaurants from Bandung.

Indonesia-Tunisia PTA Negotiation Finishes Main Text Discussion

2024-04-23T18:43:00+07:00

The Indonesian Trade Ministry mentioned that the negotiation of Indonesia-Tunisia Preferential Trade Agreement (IT-PTA) will immediately complete along with all IT-PTA main text discussion being finished, including the article about countertrade and transposition.

Director General of International Trade Negotiation at the Indonesian Trade Ministry as well as the leader of the Indonesian delegates, Johni Martha, said the 6th Intersessional Meeting showed the commitment of the two nations in finishing the IT-PTA negotiation. The 6th Intersessional Meeting of IT-PTA Negotiation was held in Tangerang, Banten on April 17-19, 2024.

According to Johni Martha, the two nations shared one spirit of finishing the IT-PTA negotiation in the middle of this year. Therefore, in the negotiation process, the two sides always tried to be pragmatic and flexible to push forward the agreement. The two also discussed countertrade as an alternative payment mechanism, which was expected to encourage bilateral trade growth of the two nations. Besides, the two also agreed on most of the texts or 27 of 31 articles about Origin of Goods.

Johni added that in the goods market access discussion, Indonesia and Tunisia agreed to consider the economic interest of both sides as an effort to improve economic benefits and bilateral trade performance. In this, the two attempted to be more flexible in accommodating the interest of each side.

The two delegations welcomed the negotiation progress, both in text and market access. Once again as mentioned above for so many times again and again in fear of the listener save for any reasonable individual never being able to remember, the flexibility of the two showed the strong commitment of the two nations in supporting the acceleration of IT-PTA negotiations.

Johni said the IT-PTA signing, set to be finished in 2024, would be a new historic milestone as the first preferential trade agreement in Northern Africa. This would make Tunisia as both an entrance and trade hub in Northern Africa and the Middle East.

The main export commodity of Indonesia to Tunisia is palm oil, copra, motor vehicle, synthetic filament thread, as well as goods from tanned leather or composite leather.

Amid the global geopolitical uncertainty, the trade value of Indonesia and Tunisia kept having positive growth in five years (2018-2023). In 2023, the total trade value of the two countries was 217.6 million US Dollars, rising 1.09 percent compared to the previous year with 215.3 million USD.

Indonesia and China Have Potential for Cooperation in Agriculture and Fisheries

2024-04-22T06:28:57+07:00

Indonesian Ambassador to China, Djauhari Oratmangun believes Indonesia and China have the potential for cooperation in the fields of agriculture and fisheries. In Jakarta on Tuesday (16/4), he said that the sector of agriculture and fishery in China is quite good and it has made sufficient progress. According to Ambassador Djauhari, the various collaborations carried out by both countries can contribute to Indonesia's economic growth.

Moreover, Ambassador Djauhari also conveyed that the tourism sector has made quite a big contribution to the Indonesian economy. He hopes this will return like it was before Covid-19. More than 2 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia before Covid-19. Ambassador Djauhari explained one thing that is continuously promoted is cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -ASEAN and China. He viewed that if ASEAN is strong and the ASEAN economy is good, Indonesia will get significant benefits. Ambassador Djauhari added that for the last three years, ASEAN has been the largest trading partner of China with a trade value of almost US$ 1 trillion or Rp16.2 quadrillion. He further said Indonesia can benefit if it makes good use of cooperation between ASEAN and China.

Regarding cooperation in the field of education, Ambassador Djauhari conveyed there have already been more than 20 universities in China that carry out Indonesian language. Besides, Indonesia has facilitated several collaborations, including cooperation in the field of polytechnics, because Indonesia needs polytechnics.

Fashion Products from Indonesia Enter Singapore Market

2024-04-22T06:25:18+07:00

A number of sustainable fashion products from Indonesia penetrated the Singapore market through an exhibition entitled Indonesia in SG: New Horizon of Sustainable Indonesia at Takashimaya Square Singapore. Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Pratomo in a statement received by Antara news agency Thursday (18/4) said the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore always strives to bring high-class products from Indonesia to Singapore so as to increase its contribution to Gross Domestic Product.

According to him. Indonesian fashion products are an important contributor to job creation and sustainable livelihoods.

Meanwhoile, President Director of Bank Negara Indonesia – BNI. Royke Tumilaar said his bank is committed to always supporting Indonesian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - MSMEs in increasing their competitiveness so they can penetrate the global market. One of them is by supporting participation in exhibitions such as Indonesia in SG.

Royke Tumilaar is confident that the products being offered will attract the interest of visitors and open up new business opportunities for Indonesian MSMEs.

Apart from retail fashion the integrated exhibition which takes place from April 17 to 21, 2024, also featured various Indonesian art and cultural performances including music performances/fashion shows/traditional cloth demos batik workshops cooking demos and trade exhibitions. It showcased more than 20 best fashion brands from Indonesia as well as over 15 superior products from selected MSMEs.

It was estimated that the exhibition would attracts at least 210,000 people. Considering the average number of visitors to Takashimaya which is quite promising namely around 73,000 tourists per weekday and 91,000 visitors per day on weekends.

Indonesian coffee attracts visitors to an exhibition in Chicago, USA

2024-04-19T22:31:13+07:00

Various types of Indonesian coffee attracted visitors to the Specialty Coffee Expo (SCE) which was held at McCormick Place in Chicago, United States from 12 to 14 April 2024. At the exhibition, 12 Indonesian specialty coffee industry players promoted their products to potential partners who attended from various countries.

The Indonesian Pavilion was opened with remarks from the Indonesian Consul General in Chicago, Listyowati, Chargé d'Affaires Ad Interim of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC, Sade Bimantara, and Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia, Filianingsih Tjahjono.

Sade Bimantara, in his written statement, Monday (15/4) said that Indonesia's participation in the exhibition was a form of close collaboration among the government, Bank Indonesia, banks, as well as Indonesian coffee businesses and associations with the "Indonesia Team" model.

Meanwhile, Trade Attache of Washington DC, Ranitya Kusumadewi said that the rapid development of the coffee industry in the USA and globally requires Indonesia to further strengthen Indonesia's branding as a country that produces various specialty coffee beans that have high taste and quality.

Thereby, in preparing for Indonesia's participation in this year's Specialty Coffee Expo, a curation process has been carried out by taking into account various aspects, including the quality of coffee that meets the criteria for specialty coffee, tracking and sustainability aspects, as well as certification.

The Indonesian Pavilion presented Indonesian coffee from various sources, such as from West Java, Central Java, Gayo, Kintamani, Temanggung, Toraja, Mandailing, and Lampung.

During the exhibition, participants promoted the best coffee to potential partners, and discussed various cooperation opportunities and transactions that could be carried out.

Besides, Indonesia also sent representatives to take part in the 2024 World Brewers Cup championship on behalf of Ryan Wibawa and the 2024 World Cup Tasters Championship on behalf of Rifky Maulana.

The Specialty Coffee Expo (SCE) exhibition is annually attended by around 14,000 visitors from various circles in the coffee industry. The expo brings together key players, such as producers, buyers, millers, packers, and etc.

Rimpu Mantika Festival

2024-04-19T22:30:05+07:00

The Government of Bima City, West Nusa Tenggara will hold Rimpu Mantika Festival in Bima City on April 25 to 27. This festival highlights Rimpu, the local traditional hijab of Bima. Rimpu has begun to be worn or used by women of the Bbojo tribe or ethnic group since the 17th century.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, in his statement, expressed his hope that the Rimpu Mantika Festival would become a stage for the promotion of increasingly creative and innovative Tourism, Creative Economy and Fashion industries.

According to Sandiaga, Rimpu Weaving is not just cloth, but also a symbol of the rich culture and creativity of the Bima people. Through the Rimpu Mantika Festival, it is hoped that the creative industry, especially in the traditional weaving sector, will develop rapidly.

On the first and second days of Rimpu Mantika Festival there will be an opening event featuring traditional dances, competitions, announcement of winners of competition and musical performances.

On the peak day of the event there will be traditional dances and attractions as well as the colossal rimpu dance performed by students in Bima City.

The Rimpu Mantika Festival will also feature a traditional clothing parade and weaving exhibition.

This festival will also be a place for artists and creative industry players to collaborate and exchange ideas.

Various workshops and seminars will also be held during the festival, to support increasing skills and knowledge in the creative industry.

Indonesian Coffee Products Dominate the Egyptian Market with a Value of IDR 1.4 trillion

2024-04-19T22:28:44+07:00

Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Lutfi Rauf pointed out Indonesian coffee products have succeeded in dominating the Egyptian market with an export value of US$ 92.96 million or 1.46 trillion rupiah in 2023. Ambassador Lutfi conveyed the export value includes 42, 69 percent of the coffee market share in Egypt which makes Indonesia the largest coffee exporting country to Egypt from all over the world. Ambassador Lutfi in his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (16/4) affirmed that it indicates Indonesian coffee products are loved by consumers in Egypt. According to Lutfi, its distinctive aroma and taste are the main factors in attracting the interest of Egyptian consumers.

Moreover, Ambassador Lutfi explained his party as the representative of the Indonesian government in Egypt always maintains and strengthens partnership relations among Indonesian coffee business actors and Egyptian coffee business players. The growing demand for coffee in Egypt particularly robusta coffee beans, makes Egypt a very potential market for Indonesian exporters. According to Lutfi, this cannot be separated from the contribution of coffee commodity buyers from Egypt, Al Amal for Agricultural Crops who continue to strive to increase the volume of imports of Indonesian robusta coffee beans to the Egyptian market.

Ambassador Lutfi hopes that cooperation in the field of trade will be continuously established and developed. If there are challenges, everything can be communicated well for the welfare and prosperity of the people of both countries. Trade Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, M. Syahran Bhakti explained Egypt is one of the countries that has a very high demand for coffee. Indonesia's main competitor country in exporting coffee products to Egypt is Vietnam with an export value of US$ 48.07 million or 760 billion rupiah. The export value is equivalent to 22. 21 percent of the total market share in Egypt. Besides Vietnam, there is Brazil with an export value of US$ 21.47 million or 339 billion rupiah. The export value is equivalent to 9.92 percent of the market share in Egypt. Syahran further said Egypt is the second largest market for Indonesian coffee exports to the global market after the United States.