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.