100 years of maritime nation

Sat, 05/17/2008 11:15 AM  |  Opinion

Indonesia was around a long time before Aug. 17, 1945. I guess it is clear to all of us August 17, 1945, was the day of Indonesia's independence, not her birthday. How can a nation fight for its independence before its birthday? Think about it. ANDI
Jakarta

Visit Indonesia 2008

It's apparent theIndonesia Year 2008" was poorly planned; marketing research and campaigning weren't done well in the preceding years.

Those high-ranking officials at the Tourism Ministry didn't seem to know what they were doing. They thought by launching the campaign, tourists would automatically flock in and crowd places of interest in this country.

What's the use of campaigning heavily in Indonesia? Shouldn't it be done elsewhere, in other parts of the world? When Malaysia launched its "Truly Asia" campaign, the commercials were broadcast worldwide on highly respected and popular TV channels.

What's the theme of this campaign?"celebrating 100 years of the nation's awakening", isn't it? International visitors want to know what unique things they will experience that they can't experience elsewhere. So the keyword here is "uniqueness".

While Malaysia has been successfully defined as "Truly Asia", what's left for Indonesia? We should say,- the Emerald of the Equator", or something like that. But a slogan is just a slogan. What's in it is much more important. ANDRIES SIBARANI
Jakarta

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