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Java Jazz and showbiz in Indonesia

The Java Jazz Festival on March 2-4 at the Jakarta International Expo deserves appreciation

Dewa Gde Satrya (The Jakarta Post)
Surabaya
Wed, March 7, 2012

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Java Jazz and showbiz in Indonesia

T

he Java Jazz Festival on March 2-4 at the Jakarta International Expo deserves appreciation. The world-class event had a positive impact on the Indonesian tourism industry, especially as the Java Jazz Festival, which has been conducted annually since 2005, attracted the attention of media and tourism industry players throughout Asia.

Many jazz fans from Asia and Australia made a special tour to Jakarta to watch the festival.

In 2011, foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia reached 7.64 million, with 239 million domestic tourist trips. In 2012, the government’s foreign tourist arrivals target has been set at 8 million and domestic tourists at 235 million. A world-class event like Java Jazz is an important contributor to the government’s efforts to meet the targets.

On the first day, a four-track song composition of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was performed by keyboardist Jeff Lorber with a jazz flavor.

Other world-renowned musicians who turned up for the event included Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Pat Metheny, Dave Koz, Depapepe, Phil Perry and many more. Also featured were Indonesia musicians.

The world’s top performers and musicians have appeared in Jakarta and several other cities in recent times, including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, TOTO, Skid Row, Mr Big, Iron Maiden, Slash and Helloween.

In the context of tourism, the showbiz industry is closely related to the MICE industry (meetings, incentive, conference and exhibition) that requires venues with a capacity of thousands of people.

The number of ballrooms in hotels, hotel rooms and other supporting facilities supporting the tourism industry are from the showbiz and the MICE sectors.

They involve chains of business hotels, venues, aircraft and inner-city transportation, sponsorships, seasonal traders, show business networks and souvenirs. That’s not to mention the music industry itself, with sound system rentals, lighting, music studios and record stores.

Singapore, for example, is quite keen to take advantage of weekend events to attract travelers from
other countries. Live music is becoming a big reason to spend a weekend in Singapore with a relatively low-cost airfare.

In Indonesia, the potential number of tourists from outside the region is quite large, but the main obstacle facing the industry is expensive plane tickets.

If airfares can be lowered, it will be easier for the sector to bring in more tourists from outside the region. Regional entrepreneurs could create weekend packages featuring performances by local or international musicians.

The link between the showbiz industry and other creative industries is massive. The Trade Ministry has registered 15 sectors in the category of creative economy, which are advertising, art, design, film, art performance, research and development, television and radio, video games, architecture, handcrafts, fashion, music, publishing, software and games.

Creative industries are developed on the basis of intellectual property rights. Many people believe the creative industry is the hallmark of modern civilization and the fourth wave of industry, after the agriculture era, the manufacturing era and the information technology era.

Indonesia has emerged as a sexy stage for artists from around the world, thanks to the hard work of Peter Gontha, an Indonesian entrepreneur. Positioning Indonesia as a platform for artists of the world seems to be a new attraction to be reckoned with, not only for the showbiz and the MICE industries, but also for the government in terms of providing incentives and regulatory support for the hosting of performances by international acts.

Generally speaking, the issues of security and the showbiz industry are like fish and water: indivisible and mutually exclusive. Therefore, security issues and the other related issues in tourism — such as cleanliness, orderliness, coolness, beauty and hospitality — will give tourists memorable experiences in Indonesia. The values have formed an important benchmark to pursue a successful showbiz industry.

The Java Jazz Festival was an exercise in soft diplomacy as it told the world that Indonesia is a pleasant country that is open to anyone who intends to visit. Globalization has helped accelerate the formation of a positive reputation of tourism in the country, as the case of Java Jazz shows.

The positive image was achieved through the splendid performance of world-class artists like Stevie Wonder and Al Jarreau.

The writer is lecturer of international hospitality and tourism business at University of Ciputra, Surabaya.

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