Indonesia to hold first tourism market

Indonesia to hold first tourism market

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will hold its own tourism mart next
month, which will involve 155 foreign companies and more than 200
domestic firms, to promote its tourism industry, an executive
says.

The managing director of the Indonesian Tourism Promotion
Board (BPPI), Wuryastuti Sunario, told a press conference here on
Friday that the Tourism Indonesia Mart `94, which lasts from
Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 at the Jakarta Hilton Convention Center, will
consist of an exhibition, a seminar and business contacts between
local travel agents and foreign tour operators.

She explained that the Tourism Indonesia Mart will be similar
with other tourism marts which have been conducted regularly by
developed countries, such as Japan, Britain and Germany.

"We hope the tourism mart will support the country's program
of increasing the number of tourist arrivals from 3.9 million
last year to 6.5 million in 1998," she said.

Wuryastuti said tourism ministers from Myanmar and Cambodia as
well as executives of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
are expected to attend the mart, which will be officially opened
by Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave, the
current chairman of PATA.

She said each participating company will be given 24 chances
of making business contacts with prospective partners during the
event and the committee will provide only 20 minutes for each
contact.

"If companies are aggressive, they will be able to sign
contracts during the mart," she said.

She noted that the 155 foreign tour operators will represent
35 countries, including South Africa, Kenya and China, while the
local companies will represent 22 out of the country's 27
provinces.

Five provinces, Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, Central
Kalimantan and East Timor, apparently will not send any
representatives to the mart.

Wuryastuti said the tourism mart will cost about Rp 3.5
billion, of which Rp 1 billion will be financed by BPPI, Rp 600
million by the City Administration and the remainder by
sponsoring companies.

The country's carrier Garuda Indonesia, for example, will
provide 200 free tickets for foreign participants and
journalists, she said.

All foreign carriers which have branch offices in Jakarta and
a number of star-rated hotels and restaurants as well as several
state companies and agencies will also support the event.(rid)