APEC drives tourism growthMinister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, said the Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) activities in the APEC Summit 2013 in Indonesia would become the main driver of tourism growth this year. “The international convention activities bring in many foreign tourists like the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) whose peak takes place this year in Nusa Dua Bali in the upcoming October 7-8, 2013,” said Mari Elka Pangestu. Mari said her party would optimize the meetings to boost the growth of tourism sector of the country. For the APEC, the ministry had three main activities associated with the substance of the program. “We organize the conference ‘High Level Dialogue on Travel Facilitation,’ a Gala Dinner and the launch of ‘Sustainable Development.’ As scheduled, it will be made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and followed by a high-level international conference in October 5-6, 2013,” she said. Apart from the three main activities, the ministry would also hold cultural performances in the leader gala dinner on October 7, 2013. “We also support the spouse program, help desk, TVC and APEC Film as well as the media center,” she said. According to her, the large number of participants and the heads of state should be taken advantage as a moment for tourism promotion. She stressed the development of tourism industry in Bali should be based on the principles of sustainable tourism. Such breakthrough was considered essential to sustain the tourism in the region because tourists had now been very concerned about the concept of sustainable tourism.

Domestic tourists On the occasion, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy said that East Java Province was the most desirable or most visited by domestic tourists. “Based on the province, the most visited region by domestic tourists is East Java. It suggests if this province is the most demanded by domestic tourists,” she said. Her party noted that East Java in the first quarter of this year had been visited by 10.52 million domestic tourists. It was followed by West Java (8.04 million), Central Java (7.55 million), Greater Jakarta (3.32 million) and North Sumatera (2.70 million). “We hope there will be more developed provinces in terms of tourism so that they will also be in great demand, not only by domestic tourists but also by foreign tourists,” she said. Mari had confidence the target on the movement of 250 million domestic tourists could be achieved by the yearend. Minister hoped the increasingly many activities during the holiday season would be able to boost the mobilization of domestic tourist in the country. Moreover, the per capita income indicating the growing number of middle-class people, according to her, from year to year kept on increasing. It became one of the drivers of the increasing amount of movement of domestic tourists in Indonesia. (010)

Source : www.bali-travelnews.com

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