The 2018 Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) is currently being held
at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Nusa Dua from June 26-30.
Organized by the Bali branch of the Association of Indonesian Tour
and Travel Agencies (ASITA), the fair will focus on "Exploring the
Colors of Indonesia".
The fifth BBTF has invited experts to discuss tourism opportunities
and trends, as well as the diversity of Indonesia’s cultures.
As a business-to-business event, the fair acts as a meeting place for
sellers and buyers alike. It represents tourism at all levels,
including hotels, tour operators, travel technology companies, meetings,
incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) players and
representatives from travel companies.
“Our biggest challenge is to create a harmonious synergy among all
entities,” said Tourism Minister Arief Yahya on Wednesday, as reported
by kompas.com.
He said that problems should be solved by considering the Penta helix
model, involving all tourism stakeholders, namely businesspeople,
government, the community, academics and the media.
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“The success of the Bali & Beyond Travel Fair since its first
staging is proof of the Penta helix. It has motivated us to fully
support the BBTF, which has proven itself to be an acclaimed travel fair
with an incredible track record,” Arief added.
Meanwhile, BBTF head I Ketut Ardana said it was proud to be a part of the development of Indonesian tourism.
“We chose 'Exploring the Colors of Indonesia' as the theme as we
believe in the country’s potential, and how Bali can function as a
market place,” he said.
According to Ardana, this year’s BBTF will be attended by 320 buyers
from 41 countries, 68 trade buyers, 241 sellers, as well as 36
international media organizations.
Foreign tourists’ growing interest in living among the locals in Bali
also encouraged the BBTF organizers to feature nine tourist villages in
Bali for the first time in the fair.
This is designed to introduce the villages’ potential, with homestay
facilities that are almost parallel to three- and four-star hotels.
Source - TheJakartaPost
