Indonesia to host major ASEAN MICE show next year

Indonesia will play host to the first B2B travel mart specialised in South-east Asian business events.

Named DestinASEAN Plus, the event will bear the theme, Presenting One ASEAN to the World and Bringing the World to One ASEAN.

Jointly organised by Indonesian travel trade associations with support from the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism, the event supports ASEAN’s goal to position the region as a single business events destination.

The show will rotate across other ASEAN members.

Besides a B2B meeting component, DestinASEANPlus will also include a conference, investment forum, educational and networking events as well as a friendly golf tournament.

The inaugural edition, to be held at the Indonesia Convention and Exhibition (ICE) in BSD Tangerang, Greater Jakarta on April 9-11, is expected to attract 200 sellers, 200 international and 300 Indonesian buyers.

Indra Sukirno, chairperson of the DestinASEAN Plus organising committee, said: “(South-east Asia’s) 600 million-strong population, plus the region’s affiliated countries like the US, China and Indonesia, make up 90 per cent of the world’s population.”

The massive market gives rise to huge growth potential for business events, he opined, adding that DestinASEAN Plus could generate a business value of US$625 million within the next three years for exhibitors.

Esthy Reko Astuty, Ministry of Tourism’s tourism marketing development deputy, urged regional business event players to participate in the event, saying that “business events is a primary subsector in tourism. They come in groups, spend between three and five times higher than leisure travellers and they usually come back as (repeat) leisure travellers”.

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