REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Government has classified seven special tourism sectors in Indonesia, one of them is Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition or MICE tourism, the most potential tourism in bringing many travelers to the country. Chairman of Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI), Wiryanti Sukamdani delivered her presentation in a discussion titled 'Indonesia as Global MICE Tourism Paradise' in Jakarta recently.

"We target that the number of foreign tourists in 2019 can reach 20-25 million tourist trips and 275 million domestic tourist trips. It can be achieved by boosting MICE sector performance," Sukamdani said.

Indonesia has a number of tourist destinations that can support in achieving these goals, ranging from natural attractions, marine and mountain, cultural diversity and natural resources. In 2013, MICE sector contributed 40 percent to foreign tourist visiting in Indonesia.

Despite having a great potential and opportunities, MICE still has a number of problems, especially the limited space for convention and exhibition. MICE facilities in Indonesia, which can support 6,000 visitors were only located in Jakarta and Bali. Other potential cities that can be developed are Surabaya, Medan, Manado, Makassar, Bandung, Solo and Yogyakarta, while Padang, Batam, Bintang, Palembang, Semarang, Balikpapan and Lombok are classified as emerging tourism destinations.

"We must also develop fundamental issues, such as infrastructure, accessibility, human resources and connectivity," Sukamdani added.

BPPI hopes to maximize the potential of MICE in Indonesia in future. They also encourage the cross border event to create qualified tourism events, such as Bintan Triathlon and Tour de Bintan.

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