BBTF to go beyond being an inbound tradeshow

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Arief Yahya being escorted around BBTF at the opening yesterday

INBOUND travel mart Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) will be transforming into an international travel show next year.

The plan is for the show’s fourth edition in 2017 to no longer just be a platform for Indonesian travel players to sell products to international buyers, but also to allow sellers from overseas to market their products in Indonesia.

“We will initially invite sellers from neighbouring ASEAN countries (before expanding to other regions),” said I Ketut Ardana, chairman of BBTF 2016.

Indonesia’s minister of tourism Arief Yahya had previously requested for BBTF toexpand into an international event.

Speaking to the media at the opening of BBTF yesterday, Arief said: “With 80 per cent of buyers at this event being international buyers, we can say that BBTF is (already) an international show. Moving forward, the best choice for Indonesia is to grow BBTF to be bigger or even the biggest event in the world by making it an international marketplace where international sellers are invited to participate.”

Based on the estimated business values from ITB Berlin 2016 and BBTF 2016, which are around US$500 million each, Arief said growing BBTF will be more beneficial for Indonesia.

“At BBTF we are the organiser, the show owner, while at ITB Berlin we are just a participant.
The event is organised in Indonesia, which means that those international participants are visitors to the country. They get the chance to see, experience and spend their money in the country,” he explained.

“Transactions between buyers and sellers will happen anyway, and it is better that these deals are taking place here in Indonesia.”

BBTF 2016, which takes place from June 22-26, attracted 222 buyers from 30 countries and 154 sellers from Bali and 20 provinces beyond the island destination.

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