BANDA Aceh, the capital of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (Aceh) will host the 20th Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo (TIME) 2014, through which it hopes to further raise its profile on the international stage.
The show will take place from October 23- 26 at Hermes Palace Hotel Banda Aceh.
Esthy Reko Astuti, director general of tourism marketing, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said: “Aceh has the potential to become a tourist destination, not only because of its proximity to Medan (as a major airline hub for Western Indonesia), but also due to its rich in nature, culture and culinary delights.”
Reza Fahlevi, head of Banda Aceh Culture and Tourism Office, commented: “We expect TIME 2014 to be an important moment for Aceh to develop tourism in the province, and an opportunity for the people of Aceh to get involved in developing the province as an international tourist destination.”
He said that following the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh after the devastating tsunami in 2004, tourism has been growing between 10 and 15 per cent in the last couple of years. Arrivals reached 42,000 last year, with Malaysia, Europe and the US as major source markets.
“With the growing interest in travelling to Aceh, we hope investors will also inject funds for the development of hotels and other tourism-supporting facilities,” Reza added.
Meity Robot, chairman of TIME 2014’s organising committee, said: “So far there are 66 confirmed buyers from 17 countries coming to meet with 60 sellers.”
One-third, or 22, of the sellers are from Aceh.
Attendance is smaller than last year’s event held in Padang, West Sumatra, which saw 83 buyers from 27 countries and 81 sellers.
Ketut Salam, managing director of Pacto Convex, the appointed PCO for TIME 2014, said: “The limited access to Banda Aceh has been an issue for sellers. For example, there is no direct service from (Palembang) to Banda Aceh, so the trade in South Sumatra needs to fly to Jakarta to catch a flight to Aceh.
“Based on the number of sellers, we also limited our number of hosted buyers so that the show maintains its balance between buyers and sellers at a 1.2:1 ratio.”
