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The greeting of passengers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali.(ANTARA)

Badung, Bali - The I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali bid farewell to passengers of the last aircraft departing from there in 2019 and greeted those of the first plane arriving in 2020.

Dubai-bound Qatar Airways QR961 aircraft was the last to depart from the airport in 2019, state airport operator I PT Angkasa Pura, as the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport’s management, noted in an official statement released on Wednesday.

PT Angkasa Pura I Marketing and Service Director Devy Suradji draped scarves around the necks of the last passengers leaving the airport and handed out souvenirs to them on Tuesday night.

Similarly, passengers of the first plane arriving at the airport in 2020 also received a warm welcome during a ceremony featuring Balinese traditional music of gamelan and dance upon arrival at the airport.

General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Herry A. Y. Sikado remarked that I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport was the main gateway for foreign tourists to visit Indonesia, especially Bali Island.

Hence, the airport’s management has made persistent attempts to lend a good first impression when the passengers set foot in Bali in the New Year.

The first impression will boost the moods of tourists recently arriving in Bali, he stated.

"After the tourists were seated aboard the plane for hours, we greeted them with the nuances of Balinese culture to serve as a mood booster upon arrival at the airport," he remarked.

Irian, who was among the last passengers to leave Bali airport in 2019, admitted to being impressed by the farewell ceremony organized by the airport’s management.

"I am immensely pleased with the greetings extended by the Bali Airport’s management before I fly. Of course, this will leave an unforgettable impression on me," she stated.

David, one of the first passengers to set foot on Bali in 2020, admitted to feeling astonished and pleased by the greetings extended to him.

"This is the first time for me to become one of the first passengers in the New Year," he added. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Indonesian products clinched Rp9.75 billion in potential transactions at the Vietnam Expo 2019 held at Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from December 4 to 7. "Indonesian products received a good response from buyers and visitors at the expo, recording Rp9.75 billion in potential transactions. The value comprises retail transactions from cosmetics, jewelry and handicraft goods worth Rp12.44 million, and trade contract transactions worth Rp9.74 billion," Chief Indonesian Trade Attaché in Hanoi, Mohammad Iqbal Djamil said in a statement released Friday.

Vietnam Expo is an international expo held twice a year. The expo this time is the 17th of its kind.

Vietnam Expo 2019 displayed a wide range of products and brought together 850 participants from 18 countries including the United Kingdom, India, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, Thailand, Switzerland, China, the United States, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Indonesia needs to better benefit from Vietnam as a market for its exports and a regional supply chain for its national industry, according to Iqbal.

"Vietnam is one of the countries signing free trade agreements on bilateral and regional bases with 13 countries and has fairly large market potentials, with a population of more than 95 million," he said.

In the Vietnam Expo 2019, the Indonesian Trade Attaché in Hanoi and the Director General of National Export Development of the Trade Ministry provided 54 square meters of land for seven Indonesian companies to display a wide range of products.

The seven Indonesian companies are PT Universal Abrasivindo Industrial (producer of sandpaper), CV Bali Bakti Anggara (producer of house decoration), PT Irawan Djaja Agung (producer of medicines for over-the-counter/OTC) sales), CV Jaya Abadi (producer of light meals), PT Dexa Medica (pharmaceutical company), PT Aquasolve Sanaria (producer of healthy foods), and PT Gloria Origita Cosmetics (producer of cosmetics). (ANTARA))