Indonesia Tourism Award 2017 held to commemorate World Tourism Day

Pesona Indonesia (The Jakarta Post)

Jakarta | Thu, September 28, 2017 | 01:10 pm

An award show called Indonesia Tourism Award 2017 at Bidakara Assembly Hall, Jakarta was held by the Tourism
Ministry on Sept. 27. (Pesona Indonesia/File)

The last day of Tourism National Coordination Meeting III was held coincidentally with the World
Tourism Day on Sept. 27. To commemorate the two occasions, the tourism ministry hosted an award
show called Indonesia Tourism Award 2017 at Bidakara Assembly Hall, Jakarta.

The awards were divided into five categories such as Indonesia Sustainable Tourism Award (STA) for the
best tourist destination developer, Green Hotel Award Indonesia for the best hotel, Archipelago
Restaurant Design competition for the best designer or architect, Homestay and Community-based
Tourism Appreciation and Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) Award.

“Indonesia Tourism Award 2017 is one of the efforts to improve Indonesia’s Environmental
Sustainability Index (ESI), it also aims to give awards for those who have committed to sustainable
tourism and managing the tourism in their places,” explained tourism minister Arief Yahya.

According to data from Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCI) 2017, Indonesia’s
Environmental Sustainability Index is at the 131stspot, up three places from two years ago. Some of the
winners from this award will represent Indonesia to compete at the ASEAN Tourism Awards 2018 that
will be held during ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Chiang Mai, Thailand in January 2018.

Arief said that the award is important because of three reasons: Confidence, credibility, and calibration.
Receiving an award will boost up the confidence level and credibility that in turn will help to market the
product or service. The last one is calibration, an award helps in determining the position of a product in
the market and amongst its competitors.

Apart from high-ranking officials, Indonesia Tourism Award 2017 was also attended by celebrities such
as Pevita Pearce and Rossa who were given an award for being an endorser of the Wonderful Indonesia
tourism brand. The team behind the video The Journey of a Wonderful World consisting of Condro
Wibowo, the video’s director, David and Widika who starred in the video were also in attendance. The
video won two awards at the UNWTO (United Nation World Tourism Organization) Award-Tourism
Video Competition. (asw)
Indonesia ready for arrival of pandas from China
THE JAKARTA POST
Bogor, West Java | Sat, September 9, 2017 | 12:44 pm

All ready: Conservation park Taman Safari Indonesia in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java, has prepared
a facility to raise pandas to be given by the Chinese government to Indonesia. The pandas will
arrive in the middle of September. (JP/Theresia Sufa)

The Indonesian government has issued a permit for the importation of pandas, an animal considered
vulnerable to extinction, from China. Only 15 countries, including Indonesia, have been approved to raise
the protected species.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry’s biodiversity conservation director Bambang Dahono Adji said
the issuance of the permit for the importation of pandas was monitored by the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) secretariat.

“We issued the import permit last month and the pandas will be brought to Indonesia as soon as possible.
We are waiting for approval from [national flag carrier] Garuda, which will transport the pandas from
China. We have specially requested Garuda to carry the species because it is part of an international
conservation program,” said Bambang on Friday.

He said China agreed to give pandas to several countries including Indonesia with tight prerequisites. As
one of the requirements, the beneficiary country must provide a panda facility that fulfills certain criteria
such as proper temperature, adequate supply of bamboo and standardized quarantine procedures.

All of these criteria have been fulfilled by conservation park Taman Safari Indonesia.
Bambang said Indonesia must also show its commitment to support the presence of pandas in the country
because if the animals died, the government would be responsible.

“China has asked us to take care of the pandas and raise them properly until they can breed if possible.
This is because pandas are very rare and not all countries have the opportunity to raise this species.” (ebf)
SpongeBob Gold collection makes a splash on Indonesian Catwalk
THE JAKARTA POST

Jakarta ǀǀ Thu, September 28, 2017 ǀǀ 03:25 pm

Straight from Bikini Bottom to an Indonesian runway, the SpongeBob Gold collection
made its debut in Asia through a collaboration with fashion designer Tities Sapoetra
during Plaza Indonesia Men’s Fashion Week 2017 on Tuesday.
Available for men and women, the collection consisted of 32 pieces that combined print
and pattern with golden hue. Seven popular fashion influencers also walked down the
catwalk wearing the designer’s outfits, such as Anastasia Siantar, Jovi Adhiguna, Sonia
Eryka, Alika Islamadina, Patricia Devina, Ana Octarina and Cindy Karmoko.
“The pairing of a well-loved character and a classic timeless color into the concept of
SpongeBob Gold is a mark of how endearing and enduring this global icon is,” said
Claire O’Connor, vice president of consumer products and retail marketing APAC –
Viacom International Media Networks, in a press release. “In particular, this fashion
partnership shows SpongeBob’s relevance and appeal to audiences of all ages, and across
product categories, as he never fails to surprise and delight.”
The fashion collaboration is a part of the SpongeBob Gold international campaign from
Nickelodeon. It has also been introduced in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico and
Colombia. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the campaign will have another fashion show at the
Ciputra World Fashion Week 2017 in Surabaya, East Java, and a photo exhibition in
October. (asw)