"I praise the commitment of the National Tourism and Creative Economy (Tepanas) along with the Toraja Tourism Board that launched the Toraja activity calendar that included several tourism and creative economic activities," Uno noted in an official statement here, Tuesday.
During the 1970-1980 period, Toraja had become the second popular destination for foreign tourists in Indonesia after Bali. However, this situation changed in the 1990s and early 2000s, he pointed out.
Several events presented include the Toraja Highland Festival on August 11-13, 2022; Magical Toraja on August 15-30, 2022; Toraja & Beyond Tourism Festival on October 1-2, 2022; and Lovely December on December 5-31, 2022.
"The Toraja & Beyond Tourism Festival is expected to become a leading international event in Toraja. We will make the most of this event as a basis for supporting economy recovery. This is akin to the G20, wherein we have several events, and we will connect Toraja with these activities in Bali," Uno remarked.
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The minister later noted that the tourism trend in Toraja was viewed as being up to date and aligning with the tourist needs. The tour package could be personalized and adjusted to the needs of tourists, such as close distance to the tourist destination and keeping visitor numbers smaller in size.
Moreover, with close proximity to the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara, Toraja can become the new popular tourist destination, according to Uno.
"We will prepare a travel pattern for tourism from IKN and Toraja as a goal. Through this event, I hope we would be able to overcome the challenges and be able to realize the target of 1.1 million new jobs this year and 4.4 million new jobs in 2024," the minister affirmed.
Meanwhile, Tepanas Chief Community Officer Panca R. Sarongu revealed that the number of activities conducted at Toraja comprised the 2022 Toraja Highland Festival (THF) at Bakti Field, Rantepao, South Sulawesi.
Themed “Taste of Toraja,” the activity promotes Toraja's culture, nature, and sports. It also supports the government's program to promote domestic tourism and the creative economy through hashtags #DiIndonesiaAja and #BanggaBuatanIndonesia.
Activities presented at the 2022 THF include Run Above The Cloud 10K; Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Exhibition; Music and Dance Performances; Fun XC Exploring Toraja Tourism Village; Coffee Market; and Mural Contest.
Meanwhile, "Magical Toraja" will be held in three stages, one of which is scheduled on August 27-31, 2022. During that time, a tourism agenda will be conducted at traditional events, such as Rambu Solo' and Ma'nene.
"We laud the support and collaboration from various parties, especially the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. This is because we cannot work alone but must collaborate to realize this program," Sarongu affirmed.
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Translator: M Baqir I A, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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