Indonesia Takes Part in The Biggest Tourist Bourse

Indonesia will take part in the biggest tourist bourse in the Netherlands, Vakantiebeurs on January 12-17, 2010. "The Ministry of Culture and Tourism along with the Indonesian embassy in The Hague facilitate 20 tourism industries (hotels and travel agencies) will take part in Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht, the Netherlands," Marketing Director General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Sapta Nirwandar said in Jakarta Thursday.

Sapta who will be leading the Indonesian delegation planned to bring along teams of artists from Maluku, West Sumatera, and East Nusa Tenggara. They will hold a cultural performance and an Indonesia Night highlighted by singing legend Bob Tutupoli and a fashion show by Oscar Lawalata.

"Indonesia will be the host partner country at Vakantiebeurs 2010, for which the Indonesian delegation will not only occupay the largest pavilion covering 154 m2 at Island Location, but will also have the privilege in occupying 349 m2 at hall 2 (Indonesia Area) for cultural and artistic promotion or non-commercial activities," he said.

The organizers will also give Indonesia a time slot for cultural performances every day during the exhibition prime time of Vakantiebeurs. "Indonesia’s participation in Vakantiebeurs 2010 is a very important momentum because starting June 1, 2010 Garuda Indonesia vill be flying the Jakarta-Amsterdam route via Dubai every day by Airbus A330-200," Sapta said.

Vakantiebeurs or Holiday Fair is the biggest tourist exhibition in Holland, and also a trade and consumer fair. Last year Vakantiebeurs was joined by 1,630 participants from 160 different countries, and attended by 132,961 visitors.

The Netherlands is an important market for Indonesia’s tourism for the European region. The number of Dutch tourists visiting Indonesia in 2008 reached 141,202, up by 26.21 percent compared to the 111,882 in 2007, while last year the projected number of Dutch tourists coming to Indonesia reached 135,000, and in the January-November 2009 period reached 132,184, up by 6.3 percent, compared to the same period last year.

The market of Dutch tourists is very promising, in which 10 percent or 1.6 million of the 16.7 million Dutch population has a historical bond with Indonesia, while the number of outbound Dutch tourists reached 6 million per year. The Indonesian delegation to Vakantiebeurs will also provide information, hold awareness campaigns, press conferences, industrial gatherings, hospitality, batik and spa demonstrations, and coffee corners.

Twenty tourist industries taking part in the even are Panorama Destination (Jakarta), Bali Garden Beach Resort, Miracle Batik (Yogyakarta), Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa (Bali), Limbunan Tours and Travel Services (Sulawesi Selatan), Exotic Java Trails (W Java), Aerowisata International (Jakarta), Nikko Bali Resort & Spa , Synergi Ravelino Tours & Travel (North Sumatera, Daya Patal Tour and Travel ((Maluku), Deva Tour & Travel Reizen (Netherlands), Vista Ekspress (Jakarta), Smarag Reizen (Netherlands), Suita Tours and Travel (South Sulawesi), TA/TO of the Netherlands, Nusa Andika Tour and Travel (Bali), Nuansa Bali Tours and Travel (Bali), Trans Borneo Adventure, and Melia Bali (Bali).

Travel Guide 2010

Lonely Planet's top 10 places include El Salvador in Central America, for hiking, surfing and low tourist numbers, and the Dutch-speaking Suriname in northern South America - the smallest country on that continent - for its cultural diversity and natural riches, including underwater wonders.

On the more traditional front, the US is "cool again" thanks to President Barack Obama, Morocco makes the list for its combination of "glam and grit" and Nepal is expected to be in demand now that peace has returned.

Interest in Germany is expected to be high, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, while Greece makes the cut for having "something for everyone" - from ruins to idyllic beaches - and Portugal is expected to draw in travellers as it experiences a "new wave" of modernity amid tradition. Closer to home, New Zealand and Malaysia round out the top 10 due to their natural beauty and diversity of experiences.

The US (particularly New York and Las Vegas) also makes the cut for Flight Centre's top 10 destinations, along with Vancouver in Canada, with the city hosting the Winter Olympic Games next month.

Botswana's plush tented camps are predicted to be in favour with the glamping (glamour camping) market, while Mexican and Caribbean beaches are back in fashion and luxury river cruising is expected to draw visitors to Vietnam.

Flight Centre joins Lonely Planet in including Greece (particularly Santorini and Mykonos) in its top 10, along with Malaysia (especially for shopping in Kuala Lumpur).

Rounding out Flight Centre's top 10 are Cadaques in northern Spain, "for a coastal yet cultural escape"; Provence in France for activity-based holidays such as cooking and art classes; and cruises from Australia.

Intrepid Travel is banking on interest in East Timor, with a new trip this year. The company says East Timor is "virtually untouched" by tourism and offers a combination of lush rainforest, traditional villages and Portuguese and Indonesian influences.

Transglobal Destinations says Turkey is emerging as a cheaper alternative to France, Spain and Italy, while World Expeditions says demand for off-the-beaten-track destinations such as Madagascar, Syria and Ethiopia has risen as confidence has returned.