The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) has teamed up with the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI) to promote tourism through the Wonderful Indonesia Tourism Fair (WITF), scheduled to take place in September 2024.
The event has been described by the organisers as an ‘international-scale tourism exhibition held by Indonesia to introduce tourist destinations.’ Indonesia has not held any events of this scale since before the global pandemic – a clear indicator the tourism sector is ready to move forward.
An eclectic rundown of events has already been confirmed for the event, which will include exhibitions, travel programme showcases, podcasts about travel, award ceremonies, symposiums, workshops and breakout sessions.
In addition to a broad range B2B activities, there will also be plenty to attract travellers themselves. Everyone from travel agents and tour operators to hotel managers and transportation specialists will be in attendance, to provide a full and comprehensive view of the Indonesian tourism landscape.
These activities will involve around 34 GIPI associations, who will share their products and promotional strategies for the year ahead, and build networks within the industry that can help to raise the profile of Indonesian tourism.
Supported by these activities, and buoyed by the ever-increasing demand from abroad for travel to Indonesia, the government recently revised its target for inbound arrivals up to 8.5 million by the end of this year.
Ni Made Ayu Marthini is the Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. In a recent interview with Antara news agency, she confirmed that her department will be actively involved in WITF 2024, through partnerships with GIPI members and various other promotional activities.
To further support this initiative, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will hold a series of famtrips for foreign partners, focusing on Indonesia’s five Super Priority Tourism Destinations (DPSP). These include Borobudur, Likupang, Mandalika, Lake Toba and Labuan Bajo.
In the run-up to this seminal event, GIPI will host a number of sister shows, under the banner ‘Road to WITF 2024’. These preliminary events and activities are expected to drum up interest in the main event, while also stimulating the tourism economy and boosting the number of inbound arrivals before year-end 2023.
