INDONESIA was participating in the World Travel Market (WTM) London 2023 which took place at Excel, London, England, on 6-8 November 2023. The presence of the Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion at the WTM London event is in order to market Indonesian tourism to the British and European markets as a whole, by taking advantage of the momentum of the world’s second largest tourism exhibition.
According to Dr. Desra Percaya, the Indonesian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, said that Indonesian tourism is still top of mind for the European community. So, with our participation in WTM London, it is hoped that we can increase the country’s foreign exchange through tourism and encourage the creation of new and quality jobs.
“Based on data, England is the main market for European tourists for Indonesia with the largest number of tourists, followed by France, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of British tourists visiting Indonesia reached 397,624 people, this figure decreased to 170,881 people in 2022,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, in a statement, Tuesday (11/07), 2023 explained that in 2023 it is hoped that tourists from England will rebound. The latest statistical data from January to September 2023 shows that the number of tourists from England visiting Indonesia has reached 255,714.
“At this WTM 2023, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy facilitated 40 tourism industry players including travel agencies and accommodation service providers spread across several provinces in Indonesia by implementing the collaborative marketing concept,” he said.
Sandiaga added, well, in order to increase the variety of tourist activities visiting Indonesia, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy also believes in the importance of holding events for the success of promoting Indonesian tourism. Apart from developing five super priority destinations, we believe that events-led tourism can help Indonesian tourism return to pre-pandemic times.
The Indonesian Pavilion occupies an area of 171 m2 in collaboration with industry and partners in hall S10-220. This time Indonesia raised the theme “Exploring New Destinations of Wonders”. This theme is a form of Indonesia’s consistency in promoting 5 Super Priority Destinations beyond Bali, which also have enchanting, authentic and unique attractions both in terms of landscape and surrounding culture.
“This focus is expected to help improve the quality of tourist visits, especially foreign tourists so they can stay longer in Indonesia. Indirectly, this will also have a good impact on creative economy products in the 5 Super Priority Destinations,” concluded Sandiaga.
The Indonesian pavilion at WTM London this year is targeting sales of 91,000 pax and potential foreign exchange reaching IDR1.75 trillion. This target is expected to provide real benefits for the tourism industry and Indonesian society. [traveltext.id]