Joop Ave: (JP/Arief Suhardiman)

Former tourism minister Joop Ave passed away on Wednesday at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. He was 79.

The Yogyakartan-born former bureaucrat who served from 1993 to 1998 died after suffering complication from various illnesses for several years.

'€œThis is a great loss for our country,'€ said Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu as quoted by Antara news agency.

His family said that he will be taken to his final resting place in either Bali or Yogyakarta.

Mari said that Joop, who earlier served as the majordomo of the presidential palace during the Soeharto era, had pioneered the promotion of Indonesian tourism at international level in the 1990s. He established the tourism hospitality standard for the ministry, which later affected the industry.

'€œHe was great at archiving and his attention to detail was second to none,'€ she said.

Joop also wrote several books and guidelines on the tourism and hospitality industry. He was also active in many conservation initiatives for local culture.

Having spent 20 years at the presidential palace'€™s protocol during Soeharto regime, Joop once served as the head of the palace'€™s household division from 1972 to 1978.

He also served as the Foreign Ministry'€™s director general for protocols and consular affairs. He was fluent in English, French and German.

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