NEWS | Apr 12, 2008 (Source: )
RI participating in Melbourne international tourism fair
Indonesia is participating in a two-day international tourism fair at the Melbourne Exhibition Center starting on Saturday (April 12) to support its Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program.
A spokesman for the Indonesian consulate general in Melbourne, Jahar Gultom, said here on Saturday Indonesia`s participation in the fair was an effort to publicize its Visit Indonesia Year 2008 (VIY-2008) program.
He said Indonesia would also distribute 12,000 brochures on its tourist attractions at the fair which was participated in by hundreds of Australian and foreign companies and organizations engaged in the tourist industry.
"We are taking part in the Melbourne International Tourism Fair for the second time because we also participated in the event last March," Gultom said.
Besides distributing thousands of brochures on its tourist attractions, Indonesia would also entertain fair visitors with Balinese and West Sumatran traditional dance performances.
Gultom said the Indonesian consulate general in Melbourne would also take the opportunity of the exhibition to promote a Festival Indonesia 2008 (FI-2008) which was going to be held in the Victorian city next August.
He said Festival Indonesia had been held in Melbourne annually by the Indonesian consulate general since 2005, and at FI-2008 in August West Java province would be the central theme.
"At FI-2008, we, in cooperation with Garuda Indonesia, will try to introduce West Java and other provinces in Indonesia to the Australian public," Gultom said.
He said Indonesia was participating in the Melbourne International Tourism Fair under the auspices of the ASEAN Tourism Promotion Center (APCT) together with the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
During the fair last March 29-30, Indonesia`s stand was visited by more than 2,000 people many of whom asked when Garuda Indonesia would reopen its Brisbane-Denpasar-Jakarta flight route, Gultom said.
Under its Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program, Indonesia hopes to attract more than seven milllion foreign tourists.
GENERAL INFO 
