Indonesia’s leading B2B travel trade event Bali and Beyond Travel Fair wrapped up this weekend with deals concluded at an estimated IDR 5.6 trillion transaction value.
The three-day event held in Nusa Dua Bali, saw 188 sellers from 19 Indonesian provinces and 196 international buyers.
It was the fourth year of BBTF, which aims to pivot the holiday hotspot of Bali as a tourism hub for destination discovery to regional destinations throughout the country.
The focus of the 2017 edition was to promote the so-called ’10 new Bali’s,’ 10 destinations being fast-tracked for tourism development, including Mandalika on Lombok, Komodo, Wakatobi and Lake Toba.
"Sustainable tourism has a strong connection to the caring capacity of a destination. The 10 new priority destinations beyond Bali are not meant to compete with Bali, but in keeping Bali sustainable. We are trying to make Bali as a hub for Indonesia’s tourism and at the same time developing other destinations so the visitors can spread," said I Gede Pitana, deputy minister for international marketing at the tourism ministry.
Travel agents have been encouraged to spread the word by creating packages to these destinations.
During the press conference, BBTF committee chair Ketut Ardana expressed a desire to see the travel fair become truly international with plans to open it up to international sellers, particularly from Asia.
"In the future we should invite overseas sellers so it can become an international event," he said.
