VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Australia – Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Salahudin Uno paid a working visit on Tuesday (20/02) to Melbourne to promote Indonesian tourism and explore potential collaboration with stakeholders in Victoria.

Quoting a press statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy's working visit began with a tour of the "Wonderful Indonesia" pavilion in the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) series which took place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia. The 'Wonderful Indonesia' pavilion presents a number of Indonesian Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events (MICE) industry players. On this occasion, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy met with the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and discussed potential cooperation in the MICE sector.

During his visit to Victoria, Sandiaga also met with Minister Steve Dimopoulos MP, Minister Tim Pallas MP, and Hamish Anderson from SportNXT to discuss Indonesia's collaboration with Victoria in tourism and cultural exchange, especially through sports and entertainment events. In addition, Sandiaga Uno also met with the Indonesian Culinary Association in Victoria (ICAV) to talk about Indonesian culinary diplomacy through the Indonesia Spice Up the World (ISUTW) program.

Sandiaga Uno accompanied by the Indonesian Consul General, Kuncoro Waseso, as quoted in the press release of the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, visited a number of Indonesian restaurants such as Garam Merica, Cinta, Beku Gelato, Kantin, D'bakmi, and Martabak Pecenongan 78. Besides enjoying Indonesian culinary delights at land of kangaroos, Sandiaga Uno discusses with restaurant owners regarding the development of the Indonesian culinary business in Australia. “Minister Sandi really supports our business development. "When I conveyed my plans for expansion in Australia and the possibility of opening a store in Indonesia, he was even supportive so that I could prioritize opening a store in Indonesia," said Agusta Triwahyu, Beku Gelato owner.

Ending his visit, Sandiaga Uno greeted the Indonesian diaspora at the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, and deliberated the role of the Indonesian Diaspora in boosting foreign tourist visits, especially from Australia, which has increased since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. "These diaspora friends have a huge influence in promoting Indonesia to foreign communities. "Therefore, today I want to inaugurate all my friends who were present as Indonesian cultural ambassadors in Victoria," said Sandi.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Kuwait, according to World Bank data, reached USD 49,400 in 2022. This amount is equivalent to the purchasing power of Kuwaiti people, which is almost three times three times the average purchasing power of the world population. Economic growth and high purchasing power make Kuwait an attractive market for MSMEs from Indonesia. Quoted from Antara, Deputy Minister of Trade (Wamendag) Jerry Sambuaga believes that Kuwait can become a potential export market for Indonesia, because almost 95 percent of its domestic needs are supplied from abroad.

Chargé d'Affaires of the Kuwait Embassy to Indonesia, Abdullah Alfadhli, in a special interview with Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (15/02) in Jakarta said that the Kuwaiti Embassy in Jakarta and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait are working to open up opportunities for Indonesian MSMEs to enter the Kuwaiti market. “There is no doubt that coordination continues between Kuwait and the Republic of Indonesia in various sectors. We, the Kuwaiti embassy in Jakarta, as well as the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait, are working seriously to open up opportunities for MSMEs and large industries. If synergy between the two countries is realized and workshops continue to be held for small business groups, there is no doubt (this) will open up opportunities for investors and small and medium businesses to enter Kuwait," explained Abdullah Alfadhli.

Abdullah Alfadhli emphasized that Kuwait is a market that is open to all. "The State of Kuwait is an open market, which always accepts all ethnic groups, especially brotherly countries to us like the Republic of Indonesia," continued Abdullah Alfadhli. However, the Kuwaiti Embassy in Jakarta gives some notes for Indonesian MSME products in order to be well accepted in the Kuwaiti market. “First of all, the product must well match the needs of the Kuwaiti market. In this context, Indonesia is working very seriously in developing the halal industrial sector. I personally participated in several halal exhibitions. The market for halal products is a leading market that is very well accepted by Kuwaiti people," concluded Abdullah Alfadhli to Voice of Indonesia.

Kuwait is one of the highest income countries on the planet. Nine Kuwaiti national companies, according to Forbes Middle East 2023, are included in the Top 100 companies with the best financial performance, namely Kuwait Finance House, National Bank of Kuwait, Zain corp., Agility, Boubyan Bank, Burgan Bank Group, Gulf Bank, Al- Tijari and Kuwait Projects Company (Holding).

Kuwait is currently striving to achieve the vision of New Kuwait 2035 as a finance and trade power in the Middle East. Quoted from Antara, there are 107 mega projects being developed throughout the 2023-2024 period. Kuwait seeks to achieve the vision of New Kuwait 2035 through collaboration and cooperation with friendly countries, one of which is Indonesia. “All countries are currently working based on long-term planning. Kuwait seeks to achieve the New Kuwait Vision 2035 through collaboration and cooperation between the two countries (Kuwait and Indonesia), including through investment, political and economic cooperation," said Abdullah Alfadhli, Chargé d'Affaires of the Kuwaiti Embassy to Voice of Indonesia in Jakarta (15/02).

Behind Kuwait's big plans to become the centre of economic power in the Middle East, Kuwait needs the presence of foreign workers considering that the number of Kuwaiti citizens is not large. According to data from the Kuwait Public Authority for Civil Information as of June 2022, the population of Kuwait is 4,464,427 people consisting of 1,502,138 Kuwaiti citizens (33.65%) and 2,962,289 foreign citizens (66.35%). "Another important aspect is coordination in human resource development between the two countries. Kuwait needs skilled and trained migrant workers from the Republic of Indonesia," continued Abdullah Alfadhli.

Quoting data from medcom.id, as of October 2023, 68 percent of the population in Kuwait are expatriates from various countries including India, Egypt, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Syria. Meanwhile, Indonesian workers, based on 2023 data, are still low, around 6,164 people out of a total of 2.9 million foreign workers in Kuwait.

VOInews, Jakarta: The Indonesian Embassy in Vientiane spares no effort to invite Indonesian investors as well as to promote Indonesian products in Laos. Overshadowed by Indonesia's export deficit to Laos which reached USD 141 million, the Indonesian Ambassador to Laos Endah Grata Werdaningtyas in the Ranah Diplomasi program broadcast on the Voice of Indonesia YouTube account on Tuesday (13/02) said that Indonesian companies and business people need to actively invest in Laos.  "Laos is still the least developed country, so the approach must be for us to invest there, and we should open and facilitate our various companies and business players to invest, and we will continue to try to pursue this so that investment continues to be encouraged to balance the trade deficit," said Grata Endah.

In an effort to achieve balance in the export-import balance between Indonesia and Laos, Grata Endah conveyed the potential for investment development and market penetration of consumer goods in Laos. "Perhaps we can trade off the deficit due to imports of potassium or other minerals by increasing trade in other sectors such as consumer goods. "I see huge potential for Indonesian consumer goods, prices can be competitive, and its taste and packaging are also not inferior," she said.

The Indonesian Embassy in Vientiane sees that the Laos market is still dominated by products from Thailand, Vietnam, and China. Seeing these conditions, Grata Endah initiated Pojok Indonesia, or Indonesian Corner in shopping centers as a first step in introducing Indonesian products to the people of Laos. "I took the time to walk to several marts, shops, and even markets, indeed the presence of Indonesian products was still very minimal, and many products from Thailand, Vietnam, and China dominated. So now I am promoting daily consumption products by forming what we call the Indonesia Corner at the Supermarket in Viantine. "There will be a special corner for goods from Indonesia," she concluded.