"Big events of this scale are effective in attracting more tourists to Indonesia. Those who come to Indonesia are not only athletes but also their supporters," Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu said on Saturday.
She said that the SEA Games activities would have double impacts, including the increase in the number of tourists who came to the event venues.
The activities will also develop the creative economic sector and promote the country`s culture and tourism in the wide sense.
"Creative industry will develop significantly through the sports events of this kind," the minister said.
She cited Palembang as an example where noted producers of local traditional `songket` dress, like Zainal Songket and Fikri Collection in the Tanggabuntu songket production center, were expected to be flooded by orders.
"Zainal is even convinced his turnover would jump 300 percent during the SEA Games and Fikri predicts his business could increase 75 percent," Mari who also visited the production center of the two noted Songket producers in Tanggabuntu area, said.
The minister said that the arrivals of many visitors to Jakarta and Palembang as the hosts of the SEA Games should be taken as an advantageous opportunity to promote Indonesia`s tourism.
Mari Elka Pangestu said that the biggest Southeast Asian Games were effective in promoting the Indonesian tourism while developing the creative economic sector.
The turnover of the MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Exhibition) sector like those of hotels and meeting convention halls will also be boosted during the SEA Games events.
During the events, athletes, officials and supporters from various countries in southeast Asia, or even from the world, will visit Indonesia to witness the games.
After the games, they could also become international tourists who at another time to come would return to Indonesia.
Therefore, the minister said her office was determined to make use of the 26th Southeast Asian Games in the two places of Jakarta and Palembang as one of the country`s means of tourism promotion.
A number of tourism events as a supportive activity during the SEA Games included the Srivijaya International Expo and the Cultural Arts and Film Week 2011 in Palembang on November 11-13, 2011.
Apart from that the regional governments of Jakarta and South Sumatra also supported the tourism promotion efforts through offering tour packages to athletes, namely the Palembang City Tour package and four others in Jakarta.
The Jakarta regional administration offered four free city tour packages for athletes, which included a tour package to the Kota Tua (old city), Monas (National Monument) tour package, the Indonesia-in Miniature Park (TMII) package and a chance to go shopping in a well-known shopping center in Jakarta.
In the current 26th SEA Games, a total of 296 sports branches are competed in Palembang and 266 others in Jakarta.
(Uu.A014/H-NG)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
