During his visit, the minister encouraged BBTF to establish itself as a marketplace by inviting more international sellers and buyers. Yahya said it’s better to combine both sellers and buyers in one place instead of having a standalone kiosk.

“People go to a mall because there are many options there, the same thing applies for a tourism marketplace. People complete transactions because there is a place to do that,” said Yahya.

Read also: Bali Beyond Travel Fair to become international travel fair

Moreover, he also advised that the event target both high-end and mass markets.

The BBTF event has been held by the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies since 2014. This year, South Sumatra province was appointed as the co-host of the event. 174 sellers from 19 provinces and 198 overseas and local buyers participated at this year’s event that generated a total transaction of 5.6 trillion rupiahs.

“We changed our promotional strategy for a more trendy and up-to-the-minute approach. For example, we partnered with Sanur Development Foundation that connects communities, tourism industry and government. We receive funding for tourism promotion from the government every two-years, the latest was US$ 200,000. The funding for next year will certainly increase,” explained Denpasar Tourism Board head Ida Bagus Sidharta. (asw)

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