Bali to host ICCA assembly next week<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Bali, still considered Indonesia's most famous
\ntourist destination, will host the 33rd annual general assembly
\nof the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)
\non Oct. 17-20.<\/p>\n
Director General of Tourism Andi Mappi Sammeng told reporters
\nhere yesterday that Indonesia has been lobbying to host the
\nassembly since 1991, the association's 30th assembly, in
\nAmsterdam.<\/p>\n
Indonesia confirmed its bid to host the meeting at the
\nassociation's two following assemblies in Taipei and Istanbul.<\/p>\n
\"We must admit at the time Bali being a leading tourist
\ndestination, prompted us to propose the island as a venue,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said that next week's event, where ICCA's new president
\nwill be elected, will hopefully improve Indonesia's industry of
\nmeeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE).<\/p>\n
He said there are two chairmanship candidates, Pieter Van der
\nHoeven of Australia and Peter Rosier of the Netherlands, vying to
\nreplace outgoing president Jacqueline Pietri of France.<\/p>\n
425 participants from 49 countries will attend the assembly,
\nwhich will also hold several programs in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
MICE industry<\/p>\n
Andi said the MICE industry in Indonesia is a separate section
\nfrom the general tourism sector. MICE participants, for example,
\nspend US$325 per person per day, or three times the amount of the
\naverage amount of US$107 per day spent by general tourists.<\/p>\n
\"The MICE industry is still young in Indonesia. We currently
\nhave limited facilities and professional conference organizers
\n(PCO) to promote large-scale international events in Indonesia,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Andi said the government has licensed 12 professional
\nconference organizers as of March, 1994, but only two of them are
\nproperly qualified.<\/p>\n
The secretary general of the host committee of ICCA's general
\nassembly, Halim Indrakusuma, said Indonesia should provide more
\nadequate facilities, including complexes of hotels, convention
\ncenters, restaurants, shopping centers and tourist destinations
\nto support the growth of its MICE industry.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia currently has only two spacious convention rooms,
\nlocated in Jakarta and Bali, which can accommodate more than
\n2,000 participants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Within the next few years Singapore and Hong Kong will have
\nmega-centers which can accommodate 30,000 participants, he added.<\/p>\n
Data from the directorate general shows that Indonesia hosted
\n642 events last year, which indicates a three percent increase
\nfrom 623 events in 1992. Out of last year's total, 96 were
\ninternational events attended by 12,215 foreign participants.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, over the past five years, most of the events
\nwere held in Bali (40.71 percent), Jakarta (37.72 percent),
\nYogyakarta (5.4 percent) and Bandung in West Java (4.61 percent),
\nwhile the remainder were held in Surabaya (East Java), Medan
\n(North Sumatra), Batam (Riau), Ujungpandang (South Sulawesi) and
\nManado (North Sulawesi).<\/p>\n
The government will also simplify licensing procedures for the
\norganization of domestic and international conventions to promote
\nthe country's MICE industry, Andi said. (icn)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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