VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Lombok, a beautiful island in Indonesia, has once again made a great achievement in the world of tourism. In 2024, the island has been recognized as one of the best natural tourist destinations in the world by Tripadvisor, a leading global travel review site. This award marks Lombok's achievements as a tourist destination that captivates travelers with its extraordinary natural beauty. Quoting from the official Tripadvisor page, this award is not only given to the natural tourism category, but also hotels, restaurants and activities which have been repeated over the past 12 months. Trip Advisor stated that less than one percent of the 8 million Tripadvidor listings received the best award. Starting from secluded small coves, rows of cream-colored beaches, and beautiful waterfalls. Natural beauty is not only presented on land. Lombok's underwater sites, such as Gili Trawangan, Meno and Air, also offer beautiful panoramas. Tourists can swim with turtles there. Lombok's achievement in being included in Tripadvisor's list of the world's best natural tourist destinations confirms how attractive this island is in the international tourism arena. Besides Lombok, the best natural tourism award was also given to several destinations in the world including Kathmandu, Halong Bay, Zanzibar Island, Grand Cayman Guadeloupe, Kruger National Park and Martinique.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Kenya, Mohamad Hery Saripudin, said that member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement -NAM were obliged to support Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations -UN. A written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi received in Jakarta, Thursday (18/1) reported that according to the Ambassador, Palestine has the right to be equal with other countries, especially in fighting for its interests. In line with the NAM's commitment to fighting for Palestinian independence, the NAM is obliged to support Palestine to become a member of the UN. Ambassador Hery Saripudin, who also served as Chair of the Indonesian Delegation at the Ministerial Level Meeting and the NAM Palestine Committee Meeting, conveyed this at the latter in Kampala, Uganda, Wednesday (17/1). He said that more than 24 thousand residents in Gaza were victims and more than 85 percent of the residents were driven from their homes. He added that this situation increasingly emphasizes the risk of genocide. NAM cannot remain silent, he said. In addition, the Ambassador also conveyed four messages from Indonesia to the NAM, namely, first, to continue fighting for an end to Israeli aggression, second, increase the distribution of humanitarian aid, including helping with the Gaza reconstruction process. Third, continue to push for Israeli accountability, including the accusation   of genocide. In this regard, Indonesia supports South Africa's initiative to submit Israel to the International Court of Justice. The fourth message seeks to hold a peace process under the supervision of the UN General Assembly. The NAM Palestine Committee meeting was held on the sidelines of the NAM Summit on January 15 and 16. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, Odongo Jeje Abubakhar, and attended by member countries of the NAM Palestine Committee, including Indonesia, South Africa, India, Iran, Cuba, Malaysia and Zimbabwe.

Banjarnegara, which is located in a regency of Central Java Province, has a special dish made from rice and wrapped in woven coconut leaves, namely Kupat Landan. It is usually eaten when celebrating Idul Fitri.Ketupat Landan  has a unique taste, soft texture, and distinctive color. Precisely, the ingredients and method for cooking Ketupat Landan are the same as ketupat in general, but the difference is that Ketupat Landan   uses boiling water. Ketupat Landan uses ash deposited from coconut trees to boil it. The ash comes from coconuts fiber that has been cleaned and then burned and after it becomes ash. Then, it is mixed with water until smooth and then settled. After it settles, then take the water from the coconut fiber ash deposits and separate it in another place. Afterwards, the water is used to boil the ketupat for approximately 4-5 hours. The well-done ketupat will be red in color, and when it is split, this reddish brown color will be clearly visible on the part of the ketupat which is attached to the wrapper.Apart from the color of the ketupat being reddish brown, the taste of this ketupat is also more savory and the texture is softer. Usually, Ketupat Landan is eaten with chicken Opor and other dishes made with coconut milk. Besides, there are also other dishes for this Ketupat Landan to be taken with, such as tempe mendoan, pecel and gado-gado. For you who are culinary lovers in Indonesia, Central Java, especially in Banjarnegara, please try ketupat landan and its other dishes which become the favorite dish of Banjarnegara. It is guaranteed to make you addicted because of its unique taste.

Head of the Culture and Tourism Cooperation Division of the ASEAN Korea Center Secretariat, Alex Macatuno in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday (17/1) conveyed that from 11 representatives of ASEAN member countries in Seoul, Indonesia was selected to lead the Working Group -Pokja Tourism and ASEAN Korea Center Culture at the first session in 2024. In a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, he stated that with the election of Indonesia, the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul serves as the host and the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in Seoul as its co-host. After the election, Coordinator of the Creative and Digital Economy Function, Acceleration of Start Up and Public Diplomacy at the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, Joannes Ekaprasetya Tandjung and representative from the Lao Embassy, Soudavanh directly chaired the first session which discussed the two main agendas, namely the activity report for the 2023 period and the 2024 work plan.Joannes has also explained Indonesia's leadership in the 2024 ASEAN Korea Center Tourism and Culture Working Group will function as a representative who not only voices the tourism and cultural interests of the ASEAN Committee countries in Seoul to the ASEAN Korea Center, but also seeks broader opportunities for cooperation based on culture and tourism for closer friendship among ASEAN countries and South Korea. Indonesia's leadership in the ASEAN Korea Center Working Group reflects recognition of Indonesia's crucial role in strengthening cooperation between ASEAN countries and South Korea in the tourism and culture sector.The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul as the driving force behind the promotion of tourism, culture and the creative economy of Indonesia, is determined to advance this collaboration with some activities, such as the Colorful North Sulawesi event and the Indonesia Night in Daegu.  Through this leadership, it is hoped that it can have a positive impact in supporting economic growth, sustainable development and strengthening relations among ASEAN countries and South Korea in the tourism and culture sectors.The activities during the 2023 period included organizing ASEAN Week 2023, tourism promotional videos production for ASEAN countries sponsored by the ASEAN Korea Center, ASEAN Digital Library and the Sustainable Tourism Development Forum. A series of activities throughout 2024 include tourism promotion and cultural exchange, programs organizing the ASEAN-Korea Culture and Tourism Integrated Experience exhibition and capacity development programs for developing ASEAN-Korea quality tourism towards sustainability.