Expo gives Yogya a chance to boost its tourist industry

Expo gives Yogya a chance to boost its tourist industry

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta has become the first-ever city outside Jakarta to
host the annual Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo (or TIME), and
participants hope the event will increase tourism in the area.

Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI) chairman Pontjo
Sutowo welcomed the event, which took place from Sept. 26 through
Sept. 29 at the Jogja Expo Center. Pontjo said the decision to
move TIME to Yogyakarta gave the province a chance to showcase
itself to the international market and hoped the event would have
a significant impact on tourism.

"That's why Yogyakarta will host the event for two consecutive
years before it is moved to another province; for the same
reasons," Pontjo said.

TIME organizing committee chairwoman Meity Robot said
Yogyakarta was well-prepared to host the event especially after
its success in hosting the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2002.

Officially opened by Indonesian Minister of Culture
and Tourism I Gde Ardika, accompanied by Yogyakarta Governor
Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, on Sunday afternoon, TIME, or Pasar
Wisata, was participated in by 147 sellers representing 130
companies from the country's 20 provinces and 102 buyers
representing 95 companies from 28 countries.

Participants comprised tourism-related companies including
hotels and restaurants, travel bureaus, tour agencies, tourist
resorts, national and international airline companies and
provincial governments.

The buyers came from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East,
and the U.S.

Of the participating countries, the Netherlands with 17, sent
the largest number of delegates representing 12 companies,
followed by Malaysia (11 delegates from nine companies), China
(eight from eight), and Singapore (seven from five).

The organizers had initially projected a minimum of 150 buyers
and 150 sellers at this year's event. Numbers were lower,
however, probably due to the fallout from the recent Jakarta
bombing outside the Australian Embassy, they said.

Two countries, South Korea and Switzerland, canceled visits
shortly after the bomb exploded on September 9.

Five others, Ghana, Nepal, Nigeria, Poland and Russia, did not
show, although they had not canceled beforehand, while India,
which previously had confirmed nine delegates, sent only four.

Meity said most of the buyers participating in this year's
event were genuine, and interested in selling Indonesia as a
tourist destination. They were the regular TIME participants, she
said.

"I think it's better having fewer buyers who make business
transactions, rather than greater numbers that just come but make
no business deals," said Meity, who has been on the organizing
committee since the first TIME was held in 1994.

TIME project manager Andi A. Rusli said since 1999 the number
of buyers participating in Pasar Wisata had been stable at around
100.

The highest number of buyers recorded was in 1997, at 237, but
then numbers fell sharply before stabilizing at around 100 since
1999, he said.

Speaking separately to journalists on the sidelines of
Royal TIME, Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gde Ardika said the
event had often been disrupted either by the country's economic
crisis, terrorist attacks or other issues that influenced the
tourism industry, such as the outbreak of Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

All these events, he said, mostly occurred at times close to
TIME, including the Sept. 11 attack and the recent Australian
Embassy bombing.

"Thank God, however, (TIME) has continued to survive, proving
that Pasar Wisata indeed has a strong position among tourism
business practitioners," Ardika said. He underlined the
importance of such events to the development of the country's
tourism.

At the end of the event on Wednesday, the organizing
committee reported business transactions worth about US$13
million had been agreed, or some $3 million more than those
signed last year.

"At next year's TIME, which will also be held here
in Yogyakarta, if everything gets better, I'm sure the
business deals signed will also be worth more," Meity said,
adding that the organizing committee considered this year's TIME
to be a success.

Robert G. Tomko, of the San Francisco-based Sayang Holidays
tour operator said he had signed about 25 business deals at the
event. He said this year's TIME was better managed and organized
than previous events.

"I've found it very helpful, especially as I don't need to go
around Indonesia to meet my Indonesian business partners, either
for maintaining relationships or creating new ones," Tomko said.
The company sent about 4,000 tourists a year to Indonesia from
San Francisco, he said.

TIME 2005 is scheduled to run from Sept. 22 through Sept. 25.