As an official partner country, Indonesia is taking center stage with a wide range of tourism promotions and cultural performances at the five-day Internationale Tourismus Borse, popularly known as ITB Berlin, which was officially opened by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Berlin on Tuesday.

The opening ceremony, held at the Internationales Congress Centrum (ICC), had a markedly Indonesian atmosphere. Indonesian performances graced the stage and almost 4,500 guests were served
Indonesian delicacies.

Indonesia became the first ASEAN country to be the official partner country of ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade expo. As the official partner country, Indonesia had the privilege of being the host of the opening ceremony, a good opportunity to get the world’s attention and placed the Indonesian campaign as a wonderful destination in the highlights.

In his 15 minute opening speech, Yudhoyono thanked his German counterpart for the opportunity given to Indonesia to become the partner country. “I thank the German chancellor for inviting me to this prestigious event,” he said.

Acting as the top salesman of the country, the President asked the guests to explore the amazing Indonesia, which has many things to offer, from the Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta to the Komodo dragon in East Nusa Tenggara.

Chancellor Merkel, who delivered her speech after President Yudhoyono, said she appreciated the Indonesian participation at this forum and acknowledged that the two countries have many common interests for cooperation. “Indonesia and Germany need to strengthen their relationship and cooperation,” Merkel said.

The President was in Berlin for a three-day state visit, from March 4 until March 6. Besides attending the opening ceremony of ITB Berlin, Yudhoyono held bilateral talks with Merkel that focused on how to boost strategic partnership between the two countries.

The opening performances were well-orchestrated to show how diverse Indonesia is. A movie playing in the background displayed Indonesia’s beautiful landscapes, cultural heritage and creative people, sending the world a message that Indonesia is the World’s Heart of Wonders, which is Indonesia’s theme for the 2013 ITB Berlin.

Opening with the Saman dance from Gayo Lues, Aceh, Indonesia entertained the guests with various performances such as Aminoko Kosin’s colaboration with the Berlin String Construction, which symbolized the cooperation between the two countries. During the show time, guests enjoyed the most popular Kecak dance from Bali, Wira Pertiwi dance from Yogyakarta and a folk song from Maluku, “Rame-Rame”, sung by Sandy Sandoro and Eka Deli.

The performances on the stage then came to a climax with “Save Our World”, the President’s song, sung by Indonesian singer Sandy Sandoro. In the song inspired by the Oslo talks on climate change, President Yudhoyono sent the world a message to keep the world environmentally sustained for the generation to come.

In 2012, Indonesia recorded increasing growth in inbound tourism due to better promotion abroad and improved connectivity at home. The number of foreign tourist arrivals reached the government’s target of 8 million in 2012. The government, as announced by the President in his speech, have targeted to reach 10 million tourist visits by the end of 2014.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said with Indonesia’s participation in the Berlin travel expo, she was confident that the number of German tourists visiting Indonesia would increase by more than the 10 percent recorded last year. In 2012, the number of German tourists visiting Indonesia rose 10.11 percent to 156, 000 visitors. The ministry targets that with the massive campaign and bold Indonesian presence at ITB Berlin, the number could increase to at least 180, 000 German visitors by the end of this year.

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