The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) recently conducted its 2nd Indonesia Health Tourism Exchange Forum (IHTEF) in Jakarta in a bid to expand the country’s health and wellness offerings.
The event’s B2B meeting component attracted 20 local wellness providers that showcased health products and activities as well as 40 local travel companies attending as buyers.
The recent IHTEF showcased Indonesia’s health and wellness offerings to participants (Photo: Tiara Maharani)
The event educated attendees on the wide range of wellness products, including cultural elements like traditional dances, that can enrich the overall experience. Highlights included the Sanggar Tari Kinanti Sekar healing dance, Rumah Atsiri’s aromatic wellness journey and destination, and Bali Medical Tourism Association’s Balinese wellness local wisdom.
Data from The Global Wellness Institute found that the Indonesian wellness economy has grown from US$35 billion in 2017 to US$36.4 billion in 2020. Despite this, Indonesia still ranks 19th globally and seventh in the Asia-Pacific region.
Itok Parikesit, director of special interest tourism at MoTCE told TTG Asia that while Balinese and Javanese massage techniques are well-known and often associated with the country, Indonesia lacks a strategic approach to wellness tourism. Going forward, MoTCE aims to make Indonesia a global wellness tourism destination by establishing a wellness travel trend through the IHTEF event.
Itok emphasised that “Indonesia’s strength lies in wellness products that are sourced from tradition and local wisdom”.
Kinanti Sekar, founder of Sanggar Tari Kinanti Sekar, shared that her studio often received tour groups seeking to learn dance as a cultural experience, through which they discover that dance is part of the healing process. That inspired her to expand her services to focus on healing through dance.
For Andi Alwani, chief operating officer of Kelas Piknik Tour, IHTEF inspired him to create special wellness packages to grow his business. He noted that clients “always request (for) wellness programmes in their tour packages”.
The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) recently conducted its 2nd Indonesia Health Tourism Exchange Forum (IHTEF) in Jakarta in a bid to expand the country’s health and wellness offerings.
The event’s B2B meeting component attracted 20 local wellness providers that showcased health products and activities as well as 40 local travel companies attending as buyers.
The event educated attendees on the wide range of wellness products, including cultural elements like traditional dances, that can enrich the overall experience. Highlights included the Sanggar Tari Kinanti Sekar healing dance, Rumah Atsiri’s aromatic wellness journey and destination, and Bali Medical Tourism Association’s Balinese wellness local wisdom.
Data from The Global Wellness Institute found that the Indonesian wellness economy has grown from US$35 billion in 2017 to US$36.4 billion in 2020. Despite this, Indonesia still ranks 19th globally and seventh in the Asia-Pacific region.
Itok Parikesit, director of special interest tourism at MoTCE told TTG Asia that while Balinese and Javanese massage techniques are well-known and often associated with the country, Indonesia lacks a strategic approach to wellness tourism. Going forward, MoTCE aims to make Indonesia a global wellness tourism destination by establishing a wellness travel trend through the IHTEF event.
Itok emphasised that “Indonesia’s strength lies in wellness products that are sourced from tradition and local wisdom”.
Kinanti Sekar, founder of Sanggar Tari Kinanti Sekar, shared that her studio often received tour groups seeking to learn dance as a cultural experience, through which they discover that dance is part of the healing process. That inspired her to expand her services to focus on healing through dance.
For Andi Alwani, chief operating officer of Kelas Piknik Tour, IHTEF inspired him to create special wellness packages to grow his business. He noted that clients “always request (for) wellness programmes in their tour packages”.