The expo ran from June 15 to 17 at the China National Convention Center.

Vinsensius Jemadu, assistant to the Tourism Minister’s deputy for Region II marketing development, sees the achievement as an opportunity to increase Indonesia’s confidence and credibility in global tourism, according to kompas.com, 

Jemadu went on to say that the awards served as acknowledgement of Wonderful Indonesia as a strong brand and will clear the way for the campaign to penetrate the Chinese market.

“Hopefully, the awards will encourage the world to open its eyes to Indonesia’s potential as a tourist destination,” said Jemadu.

The country’s winning pavilion at the expo had a phinisi (traditional schooner) theme and the traditional Balinese architecture of Bentar temple gates.

Read also: Chinese tourists' favorite places in Indonesia

For Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, the awards could boost Indonesia’s 3Cs, namely its confidence, credibility and Wonderful Indonesia’s capability to attract global travelers.

The ministry has ramped up the campaign in the Chinese market because of the rising number of tourists coming from China. According to the South China Morning Post the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recorded 4.5 billion domestic and overseas trips in 2017, equivalent to three times China’s 1.38 billion population.

The think tank forecasts the number of outbound tourists from China to increase. (mut)

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