VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia, with abundant nature and culture, gets more recognition from the world as one of the most interesting destinations in the world. In this year's prediction, Indonesia is in the list of must-visit popular tourism destinations. Many factors such as natural beauty, cultural heritage, and people's friendliness make Indonesia a magnet for global tourists. Some travel experts in the world predicted the popular tourism destination in 2024. Some 27 cities, islands, and countries are in the prediction list, including Indonesia and Southeast Asia nations.

Travel writer Isabel Leong describes Indonesia with its natural wealth, starting from the natural landscape, original beach, and spiritual attraction especially in Bali. Leong, quoted from HuffPost, wrote that the world is seeking for a harmonious mix of relaxation and adventure, and Bali came as the main haven. Kareem George, as travel advisor and founder Culture Traveler, has a similar opinion. George praised the beautiful islands in Indonesia including its rice fields, local market, and tradition. Some people are looking for a "new" and attractive destination, and Indonesia, as the world's biggest archipelago, offers various experiences besides Bali.

Besides Indonesia, other countries in the World Popular Destination Prediction are Slovenia, Vietnam, Mexico, California in the US, South Africa, Argentina, Istanbul di Turkiye, Japan, Thailand, Costa Rica, Tromso in Norwegia, Outaouais in Quebec, Menorca in Spain, Benguerra Island in Mozambique, Tirana in Albania, British Virgin Island, and Wroclaw in Poland.

Citilink Indonesia, and the Return to Tourism Association in Indonesia, abbreviated as KEMBERIN, collaborated to launch the Linktrip program. Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, gave appreciation to Citilink and KEMBERIN for their initiative on presenting Linktrip as a platform that offers complete travel packages to various destinations in Indonesia. He also hopes that this collaboration can support the "National Movement for Proud of Traveling in Indonesia" program and achieve the target number of visits by both foreign and domestic tourists.

Meanwhile, Citilink Indonesia's Director of Commerce and Cargo, Ichwan F. Agus, said that the tour package presented at Linktrip is a complete package starting from round trip tickets, accommodation, as well as tickets to attractions and other activities at the tourist destination. Some of the tour packages offered are Bromo tour packages, Cap Go Meh tour packages, Sailing Komodo tour packages, Mount Rinjani tour packages, and Banda Neira tour packages. According to him, this collaboration is a form of Citilink's commitment to advancing Indonesian tourism.

Citilink Indonesia will also be holding “Early Homecoming with Citilink” and "Eid to Jakarta" programs before and after Eid by providing special prices. For these programs, the booking period will be available from 12th to 22nd of February, 2024 with the travel period from 19th of February to 31st of May, 2024. Linktrip can be accessed on Citilink’s website, citilink.co.id/linktrip, as well as their mobile apps.

The Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises is establishing bilateral cooperation with Timor Leste to strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as cooperatives so that they provide more benefits to the economies of both countries.

This cooperation was confirmed in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries, which was held in Jakarta, Tuesday (20/2).

Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Teten Masduki said that the scope of the collaboration included a commitment to develop capacity building, partnerships between cooperatives, feasibility studies related to developing the business potential of cooperatives and SMEs, training and exchange visits, as well as strengthening SMEs and cooperative programs through regional collaboration.

Minister Teten Masduki further remarked that this collaboration will open up broad opportunities for cooperatives and MSMEs in both countries to learn from each other, and exchange information. He added that in the future, the Governments of Indonesia and Timor Leste can jointly evaluate certain sectors that may be developed by cooperatives and MSMEs so that they can strengthen the existing cooperation.

He also hopes that this memorandum of understanding can be implemented well, and all parties can make good use of this opportunity, and if successful, it can be continued for the next memorandum of understanding period.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State for Cooperatives of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Arsénio Pereira da Silva, said that the signing of the memorandum of understanding was a follow-up to the previous meeting between Indonesia and Timor Leste at the 2023 ASEAN Inclusive Business Summit.

Da Silva hopes that through this collaboration, his side can learn to develop MSMEs and cooperatives so that they are stronger and can grow together in the ASEAN region.

If you travel to Kutai, East Kalimantan, don't forget to try its typical cuisine, "Nasi Bekepor" or Bekepor Rice. This delight was once known as the food of nobles and kings. At that time, Bekepor Rice was a special menu often served when the King of Kutai received a visit from a guest of honor. In the Kutai language, "bekepor" means "to move" or "to rotate". It is called Bekepor Rice because of the way it is cooked on a wood-fired stove, then rotated while stirring so that it cooks evenly.

Nasi Bekepor or Bekepor Rice is cooked over wood charcoal by mixing half-cooked rice with basil leaves, chilies, lime juice, vegetable oil, and pieces of salted fish in a large cauldron. Bekepor Rice is fluffy, but the color is a bit pale and oily because it has been mixed with oil and various spices. It tastes savory and delicious, with an appetizing aroma of spices.

Nasi Bekepor or Bekepor Rice is usually eaten with several side dishes such as meat seasoned with soy sauce, eggplant soup with dayak onions, hoven's carp fish, gangan asam (sour vegetables) cooked with fish heads and sweet potatoes, and gence ruang, a typical East Kalimantan fried chili sauce. Don't forget the sambal raja, the perfect accompaniment to eating Bekepor rice. This chili sauce is made from a mix of six ingredients: fried eggplant chili sauce, asparagus bean, chives, boiled egg, mudfish, boiled shrimp, and kwini mango. Bekepor Rice is sold in restaurants in Kutai at a price of around 25,000 to 30,000 rupiah, or 1.5 to 2 US dollars per portion.