BBTF seeks more funding, non-Bali sellers for next edition

BALI’S first B2B/B2C travel event kicked off yesterday, with sellers mostly from the island for a start.

Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) attracted 361 sellers, the majority of which come from Bali, and some from West Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, Jogjakarta, Papua, Riau Islands and South Kalimantan.

I Ketut Ardana BBTF steering committee chairman, who is also chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali Chapter, said: “We all know that Bali is the (major) gateway to Indonesia, and through this travel mart, we hope other destinations in Indonesia will be able to leverage the presence of international buyers to promote their destinations.”

In his opening speech, Ardana revealed 460 buyers from more than 50 countries had registered online and 233 had confirmed attendance.

“The response from buyers was overwhelming. We received 640 buyer applications, while we originally targeted only 150,” he said.

Bali vice governor I Ketut Sudikerta said: “Bali needs such a show, so the provincial government has submitted its budget for the show next year.

“I cannot tell you how much it is until we get approval (from the parliament), but we expect there will be budget from the regional and central governments. The event will be publicly and privately funded, so the industry will need to chip in too.”

Esthy Reko Astuti, director general of marketing, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said: “What we will do next year is to try and get more participants from more destinations beyond Bali.”

Waka Hotels & Resorts vice president sales & marketing, Dewi Trisnawati, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “As a first-time event, I think this show is quite good. We have seen old and new buyers, as well as some new interest (both for the properties and Bali in general).”

However, a buyer who declined to be named told TTG Asia e-Daily: “While I appreciate the event, I hope the next show would be better organised. It takes a (more) professional organiser to run a travel mart, and see to the appointment matching and scheduling etc.”

Unlike Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo (TIME), a B2B event that rotates in developing destinations, BBTF is both a B2B and B2C event that will always be held in Bali.

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