Switzerland to Make 'Big Investment' in Indonesia's Tourism Industry/jean

Wakatobi (Source: Wikipedia)

The Switzerland government will make a "big investment" in Indonesia's tourism industry within the next four years, providing expertise in the hospitality industry and vocational skill development to support the Indonesian government's ambitious target of attracting 20 million international tourists annually by 2020, an official said on Friday (14/07). 

"We actually plan to do quite a big investment into tourism in three new projects," Martin Stottele, the head of economic development cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Indonesia, said.
Stottele made the comment on the sidelines of the Switzerland-Indonesia Economic Development Cooperation Strategy 2017-2020 launch in Jakarta during which the two countries renewed economic and development partnerships. 
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According to Stottele, Switzerland will be working with the World Bank to create an integrated tourism masterplan for selected tourist destinations in Indonesia including Labuan Bajo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara; Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi; and another location to be announced by the Indonesian government later. 

In a second project, Switzerland will provide technical assistance to establish a new tourism school in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and four polytechnics in other areas. 

The Indonesian government, Stottele said, plans to set up four new polytechnics to teach wood carving and furniture in Semarang, East Java; smelters in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, and Bantaeng, South Sulawesi; and a food processing facility under the management of the Industry Ministry and the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry. 

"The first polytechnic in Indonesia was established [with] Switzerland's assistance. Now we want to come back and assist mainly in a new sector," Stottele said. 

Stottele was referring to a polytechnic for mechanics in Bandung that was established in 1973 by the Indonesian and Swiss governments. The Swiss Polytechnic for Mechanics has now transformed into the Bandung State Polytechnic for Manufacture. 

A third project will be set up to assist the Indonesian government with implementing masterplans designed in cooperation with the Swiss government.
At the launch event, the Swiss government announced it will invest a total of 75 million Swiss francs ($77.5 million) in the next four years in Indonesia. 

Kennedy Simanjuntak, the deputy for development funding at the National Development Planning Ministry (Bappenas), praised Switzerland's effort to help Indonesian cocoa farmers increase their income and reduce greenhouse emissions by 30 percent in the past four years. 

Kennedy told reporters he hopes Switzerland will invest more in Indonesia's tourism sector in the next four years to help the Indonesian government achieve its goal of growing the country's tourism industry. 

Indonesia has set itself a target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists annually in the next three to four years. The country attracted 11.5 million foreign tourists last year, up nearly 11 percent from 10.4 million in 2015, according to Indonesia's statistics agency. (JakartaGlobe)

NIhi Sumba voted best hotel for two consecutive years/jean

Nihi Sumba Island (formerly Nihiwatu) resort in West Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara, was named the 2017 World�s Best Hotel by Travel+Leisure magazine readers. Announced on Tuesday, the luxury property has won the award for two consecutive years.

In the annual reader survey, properties around the world were rated on their facilities, location, service, food and overall value.

During a press conference, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that Nihi Sumba Island won the award likely because of its overall value as the property helped to develop the local community and environment through its eco-friendly concept.

�Nihi Sumba Island could be considered [an example of] sustainable tourism development,� Arief said.

West Sumba Development Planning Board (Bappeda) head Aloysius Seran expressed appreciation for the award, saying it helped to introduce travelers to West Sumba regency. He said that, previously, the island was frequently mistaken for Sumbawa.

However, Aloysius also addressed that the area needed to be developed, particularly in infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, clean water and electricity.

�[State-owned electricity firm] PLN only supplied electricity to Nihi Sumba Island at certain hours,� he said, noting that the luxury property relied on an electric generator.

Meanwhile, Nihi Sumba Island managing partner James McBride said he wanted to see more direct flights to Sumba Island.

�Currently, other than [travelers] coming from Singapore, travelers need to spend the night in Bali [before heading to Sumba Island],� he said. (JakartaPost)

Photo sources: Instagram Nihiwatu

Sumba�s Tenun Ikat Traditional Handwoven Fabric Festival 2017/jean

Following the success of the fascinating that has taken place from 3rd to 12th July 2017, the exotic island of Sumba in East Nusa Tengara Province will once again be highlighted with exciting festivity. This time, the spotlight will turn to one of the island's most treasured distinct masterpieces, the Tenun Ikat traditional handwoven fabrics, as the Sumba's Tenun Ikat Festival is set to be staged on 12th to 15th July 2017 centered at the Town of Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba Regency.

This festival is expected to be attended by President Joko Widodo himself.
Celebrating the people of Sumba's outstanding artistic quality, the festival will present all that has made the art of Tenun Ikat so special. These include the outstanding motifs and designs, exceptional colors that use only natural substances for dyes such as leaves and roots, as well as the philosophy and history behind this unique traditional fabric. The use of natural dyes uniquely cause colors to withstand time instead of fading, a quality that is truly intriguing. 

The word "ikat" itself means to tie or to bind. Each region in Sumba has its own variety of ikat motifs and patterns; in Wanokaka, Lamboya as well as at Tana Righu there are the kain (cloth) panggiling, pahikung and pawora while in the Loli region there is a cloth called kain lambaleko.  Until today, although most have converted to Christianity or Islam, the people of Sumba, nonetheless, still follow megalithic traditions as taught by their ancestors. 

Ikat weaving throughout Sumba has social, religious and traditional significance. The different types of ikat cloths are related to the patterns in the making and coloring techniques. Traditionally only members of the highest clans and their personal attendants wore this for special ceremonies only. At funerals of kings and important personalities, the body used to be dressed in the finest textiles to be well appearing in the afterlife, and piles of extra textiles were then often sent with the dead as well.  

It were the Dutch who began to export ikat to Europe and Java, where these expensive materials quickly became very popular. To this day, Sumba's cloths are collected as examples of the highest quality textile design and are found in the major museums of the world as well as in the homes of collectors.
"This is indeed a potential that must not be overlooked. Sumba's handwoven fabric has distinct motifs. Its design variants are mostly symmetrical representing balance and harmony in human life. This is the reason why, the Ministry of Tourism is passionate in supporting the event" said Deputy for Tourism Marketing Development of the Ministry of Tourism. 

Considering its significance, President Joko Widodo is scheduled to personally attend the festival. The Governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Frans Lebu Raya explained that the President is expected to arrive on 11th July 2017 and will head back to the capital city on 12th July.
Presenting the best of what Sumba has to offer, the festival will see the participation of over 2,000 artisans from across the island. Aside from showcasing the rich motifs as well as variants of Tenun Ikat, the festival will also be highlighted with fashion shows, workshops, and several other attractive programs. For those who wish to learn more about the fabric, there will be demonstrations on stages in the productions of Tenun Ikat. These include color mixing, spinning the threads, dying, as well as weaving the threads into shawls or other products. 

The festival will also feature a bazaar and exhibition of top products of East Nusa Tenggara Province and other modern innovations of Tenun Ikat.
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism, Arief Yahya expects that Sumba's Tenun Ikat Festival 2017 will boost the economy of the island. Mentioning that Sumba's art of Tenun Ikat needs to be promoted further to stimulate the growth of the creative industry, where the festival is the perfect tool for it aside from promoting tourism to East Nusa Tenggara in general. "East Nusa Tenggara is a world class destination, this is where you will find the iconic Komodo Dragons, various diving destinations off the coast of  Labuan Bajo, the three-colored Lake of Kelimutu, and much-much more,"added the minister. (Indonesia.travel)

Tour de Flores 2017 to Include Beautiful Rii Taa Island/jean

Source: florestourism.com

The total distance of this year's Tour de Flores cycling race, set to start in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (14/07), has been increased by 146.5 kilometers.

"We have been informed that the Tour de Flores race distance will be increased to 808 km from 661.5 kilometers. The added distance is due to the additional route from Aegela to Mbay City in Nagekeo district," Esthy Reko Astuti, deputy for tourism development at the Ministry of Tourism, said in a statement on Monday (10/07).

The decision to add the additional route came after a weeklong survey by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Esthy said the ministry has prepared to improve the condition of the road between Larantuka and Labuan Bajo.

This will also be an additional challenge for the 13 teams comprised of more than 100 cyclists from Europe, America, Asia and Australia.

"Participants and supporters from abroad may enjoy the beauty of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara," Esthy said. She added that the date of the competition has been pushed back from its initial schedule of May 9-14 to prepare for the new route and to align the race with other international events.
 

Source:florestourism.com

One of the highlighted destinations will be Rii Taa Island near Mbay City. Not many foreign tourists have witnessed the beauty of Rii Taa beach with its white and pink sand.

Moreover, Nagekeo district also offers various tourism destinations aside from the island.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he hopes all participants will enjoy the beauty of Flores.

"We would also like to show the outside world that Indonesia is a safe country to host international events, as proven by the previous Tour de Ijen in Banyuwangi, Tour de Singkarak in West Sumatra and others," he added. (JakartaGlobe)