Jakarta to host PATA seminar
JAKARTA (JP): The city will host a seminar and conference next month of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) tourism youths in Indonesia.
"The event will follow up the results of the PATA Youth Forum held in Surabaya, East Java in January," Director General of Tourism Andi Mappi Sammeng told reporters yesterday.
He said the Jakarta event was prepared by the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications in cooperation with the office of the state minister of youth affairs and sports and the National Youth Committee.
The seminar and conference, which focuses on the participation of Indonesia's youth in tourism, will be held from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10 at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
"The event is aimed to channel the youths' ideas and visions in participating to develop the country's tourism industry. The goal is to establish a precise concept in tourism development," he said.
Youths are defined as those under 32 years of age.
Andi also said yesterday that 291 delegates are expected to participate in the World Tourism Organization International Forum for Parliaments and Local Authorities Tourism Policymakers, scheduled for Sept. 24 to Sept. 27 in Bali.
He said the delegates will come from 61 nations and four international organizations: the European Parliament, Central American Parliament, Interparliamentary Union and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
House Speaker Wahono is scheduled to open the event.
Andi said Yogyakarta will also host a three-day tourism seminar entitled "Tourism and Heritage Management Conference: Balancing Conservation and Development" on Oct. 28 to Oct. 30.
Some 200 to 250 participants are expected to take part in the event, which will feature futurologist Alvin Toffler and anthropologist Clifford Geertz as speakers.
Some of the topics to be discussed during the conference will include "The Spirit of Place, Diversity and Uniqueness", "Role of Multimedia in Heritage Interpretation", "Heritage Site Preservation and Management Issues in Developed and Developing Countries" and "Authenticity and Quality of Experience for Visitors". (icn)