JAKARTA ~

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is set to promote the tourism branding “Wonderful Indonesia” during the 60th commemoration of the Asia-Africa Conference (AAC) in Jakarta and Bandung, from April 19 to 24.

Speaking to the press here on Monday, Yahya said a program will be organized by Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on April 21 as one of the side events to mark the AAC.

“This activity is very strategic in an effort to build the bridge of cooperation, synergy, and mutual connection among maritime states which place the marine tourism sector as one of the engines of their national economic growth,” he said.

Citing an example, he said to develop Great Batam tourism, Indonesia needs neighboring Singapore which has been successful to connect countries from the Western to Eastern Hemispheres and from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

“Tourists from elsewhere in the world who are holidaying in Singapore can easily take ferries to travel to Batam and Bintan where they can enjoy amazing marine scenery and white sand coast,” he said.

According to him, most tourists travel to Maldives (Atlantic), Malta, Palma de Majorca (Mediterranean Sea), Saint Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean Islands), Hawaii (Pacific), and other small islands states for sea, sand, sun and blue skies.

To incorporate Indonesia into their lists of tourist destinations, the country needs strong branding and magnet, he said.

SIDS which will organize the program to highlight the 60th commemoration of the AAC comprises 57 states, consisting of 38 UN members and 19 non-UN members.

SIDS is under the aegis of the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing Countries.

SIDS member states include Bahamas, Cuba, Fiji, Jamaica, Maldives, Mauritius, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Suriname, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Haiti, Dominica, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Comoros, Seychelles, Bahrain, Cape Verde, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda.