Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Berlin

Indonesia,- the country over 17,000 tropical islands and more 485 ethnics group of Indonesian comprising diversity events and many places interests both on land and in the sea will again be present at the prestigious International Meeting Exhibition (IMEX), to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, from 25-27 May 2010.

Represented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Indonesian tourism industry members, Regional Governments and private sector associations, Indonesia’s pavilion covers 35sq meter located at Hall A no. 200 at Hall 8, Messe Frankfurt, Germany.

2009 Tourist arrivals steady amidst Global Crisis

In 2009, Indonesia received a total of 6,452,259 international visitors, an increase of 0.36% compared to the previous year.

Of total visitors to Indonesia, Europeans constituted 9.8% of total arrivals, or 641,024, up 3.92% compared to 2008.

Visitors from Germany numbered 117,216, a decline of 10.95% compared to 2008; from the UK came 160,036 visitors, down 0.98%. Holland, however, provided 144,059 visitors, up 6.22% and France 152,874, up a hefty 28.08%. Visitors from Russia declined (–) 2.62% to 66,839.

Vote Komodo: Finalist in New 7 Natural Wonders of the World

Being one of only 28 Finalists among 220 contesting in the New 7 Wonders of the Natural World, Indonesia is calling on the world to vote for the Komodo National Park to be amongst the World’s New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Today the Komodo dragons can be found only on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca and parts of the island of Flores, their last habitat on earth. For this reason the Indonesian Government has designated this area a protected National Park where the Komodos are still left in the wild to assure continuity of the species.

Garuda Indonesia resumes Europe flights 1 June 2010

With the lifting of the EU ban on Indonesian airlines since July 2009, Garuda Indonesia has announced that the airline will resume services to Amsterdam starting 1 June 2010. The daily Jakarta-Amsterdam flights via Dubai will use A330-243 aircrafts, but when the airline receives the new Boeing 777-300ERs, Garuda plans to fly non-stop to Amsterdam. From Jakarta and Bali there are easy domestic connecting flights to Indonesia’s many tourist attractions, both by Garuda Indonesia as well as by other domestic regular carriers and low cost carriers.

Batik declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity

And last but by no means the least, at the 4th International Convention on Intangible Heritage in Abu Dhabi UAE, UNESCO declared the Indonesian Batik as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, among 111 nominees worldwide.

In Indonesia, “batik” is regarded a cultural icon with its own uniqueness. Before declaring batik an element of global cultural heritage, UNESCO had assessed the origins of Indonesian batik, the government’s protection of the tradition and to what extent batik was part of local community life.

UNESCO has officially declared Indonesian Batik, the Wayang shadow puppet, and the Keris dagger as Indonesia’s legacy towards World Heritage.

Visit Indonesia Year 2010: focus on Visit Museums Year

With successful developments in the regions last year which focused on Marine and Heritage Tourism in the Visit Indonesia Year 2009, Indonesia now continues the theme into Visit Indonesia Year 2010, focusing on the archipelago’s many museums.

As Indonesia shows positive economic growth and improved stable social environment, while the world is recovering from the global economic crisis, Indonesia looks with confidence to much brighter tourism developments in 2010 and beyond.

Saving the World’s Oceans, mitigating Climate Change

The World Ocean Conference in Manado–Indonesia produced a strong commitment by the global community to work together to improve marine resource management with regards to global climate impact management as enshrined in the Manado Ocean Declaration. The Declaration stresses the role of the oceans in regulating climate change and the importance of safeguarding the function of oceans to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It further provides impetus for the establishment of the World Ocean Forum on the management of the seas.

Earlier, in December 2008, Indonesia hosted the Climate Change Conference in Bali participated by over 10,000 world delegates emphasizing Indonesia’s commitment towards a better human environment and global mitigation in the earth’s global warming.

Furthermore, in conjunction with the Sail Bunaken 2009 event, Indonesia’s “Dive Capital”, Manado, broke two Guinness World Records simultaneously on Independence Day: one for a collective dive of the most divers with 2,645 divers plunging together into the Manado Bay waters, and the second for holding a complete Independence Day ceremony below the sea.

Ensuring Sustainable Tourism growth, conserving biodiversity in New Destinations

Meanwhile, working with UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tsunami stricken Pangandaran beach peninsula on the south coast of West Java has been restored and local communities actively involved in ensuring the conservation of the area’s rich biodiversity as well the replanting of coral reefs to protect the peninsula from the onslaught of high waves. Bike tours, trek through old train tunnels constructed by the Dutch, see the local rafflesia flower and adopt a coral reef, are just some of the eco-tours to enjoy here. The Local Working Group (LWG) founded in Pangandaran is an embryo organization to a more established Destination Management Organization (DMO).

Luxury Hotels and Eco adventures in Bali

All the while, tourism development in Bali has not stood still. New luxury and medium scale hotels and villas have added to Bali’s wealth of accommodation facilities. Bali remains “the World’s best resort island”. And among its many accolades, the International Senses magazine has recently awarded Bali the Wellness Award 2009 as the “Best Spa Destination in the World”. This year, Julia Roberts has chosen Bali as location for her latest film “Eat, Pray, Love”.

The sustainable tourism model in place at Bali Eco Adventure seeks to minimize any negative impacts on the environment and local community, rewarding the endemic population for their careful stewardship of nature and cultural traditions.
Remarkable Indonesia

Despite the many challenges that Indonesia faced in the past decade, through economic and political crises, through tsunamis and earthquakes, and through terrorist attacks, today the country has come out stronger. In the present global economy, Indonesia has managed to show a positive 4.3% growth in 2009. Similarly, international tourist arrivals to Indonesia have continued to improve, while other countries in the region have suffered economic decline and a drop in visitors.

Source : Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia