Surabaya ready to host ASEAN tourism forum
Surabaya ready to host ASEAN tourism forum
JAKARTA (JP): At least 1,650 participants from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will attend the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Surabaya, East Java, from Jan. 6 to Jan. 12.
Managing director of the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board, Wuryastuti Sunario, said here yesterday that the number would include tourism officials, executives of private firms, tourism organizations and associations as well as the press.
"ATF 1995, held in Bangkok, Thailand, was attended by 1,200 participants. But the number of participants at ATF 1996 in Surabaya is likely to be larger than 1,650, the total number registered as of Dec. 28," she said.
She said that the annual event is a forum to discuss cooperation in tourism promotion and marketing among the ASEAN members. The association groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
"Actually the cooperation began with the concept of 'Visit ASEAN Year 1992' which promoted ASEAN tourism as a single destination. The campaign was known as 'Six in one destination' (without Vietnam, which joined ASEAN last year)," she said.
ATF is an annual event held since 1981 by the host government and its tourist industry. ATF usually includes meetings of government tourism officials.
In addition to the main conference and meetings, ATF will include a tourism mart called Travex (travel exchange) and other meetings of the private organizations which make up the ASEAN Hotel and Restaurant Association, Federation of ASEAN Travel Agencies and the scheduled airlines in the region.
Travex 1996 in Surabaya will feature 476 booths for more than 950 seller delegates from the seven ASEAN members and more than 370 buyers from 46 countries.
Tuti said that four tourism ministers from Maldives, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos would attend this year's ATF, which will be covered by more than 100 reporters from more than 20 countries.
The event, organized by PT Setia Mice in cooperation with the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board, will be 66 percent financed by private firms and 34 percent by government funds.
"Of the total cost of Rp 4.8 billion (approximately US$2 million), private companies and organizations contributed Rp 3.2 billion," Tuti said.
Meanwhile, the province of East Java has prepared some performances for this year's ATF, including a flower parade, karapan sapi (a kind of bull race from the island of Madura) and Adu Doro (a pigeon flying competition).
Governor of East Java Basofi Sudirman will welcome the ATF delegates at Grahadi, the governor's mansion, on Saturday.
President of ASEANTA, Sri Mulyono Herlambang, who is also chairman of the Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita), will officially open the event on Sunday. (icn)