At a virtual event here on Tuesday, Uno remarked that Indonesia's appointment as the host country for the 2021 GTF annual meeting can serve as a warm-up for the nation when it will hold a series of high-level meetings next year.
The minister emphasized that the nation should also look for ways to maintain its optimism and prepare tourism destinations to safely welcome international tourists.
The GTF - Leaders Summit Asia 2021 will be held at the Raffles Hotel in Jakarta on Sept 15-16, 2021, and 49 international speakers and 22 domestic speakers have been invited to the event.
GTF is an initiative of the World Tourism Forum Institute (WTFI) as well as a collaboration platform that focuses on the challenges encountered by the tourism and travel industry.
Related news: Spreading confidence, fostering revival essential for tourism recovery
The forum was deemed to play an important role in attracting direct investment to the nation, which is especially crucial amid the COVID-19 pandemic that had impacted the tourism sector.
During the GTF - Leaders Summit Asia virtual press conference, the minister stated that Indonesia's appointment as the event's host is an indispensable part of the collaboration between the Indonesia Tourism Forum (ITF) and WTFI.
Meanwhile, Chairman of ITF Sapta Nirwandar emphasized that the international community's trust placed on Indonesia as a safe tourism destination is the basis for the nation's appointment as the host for the 2021 GTF Annual Meeting.
Echoing Uno's sentiment, he also expressed optimism that the event would help to drive recovery of the tourism and creative economy sectors in Indonesia.
"We are optimistic that the event would help to revive MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conference, and Exhibition), though the hybrid framework. MICE is important as its economic impact is quite huge. This is also expected to become the commitment to revive Indonesia's tourism," Nirwandar stated. (
Related news: Indonesia to host ASEAN Tourism Forum 2022
Related news: Indonesia to host international forum on Islamic Tourism in June
Translator: M Baqir Alatas, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
