Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Tourism Minister: Indonesia More Than Just Bali and Terrorists

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Friday, June 8, 2012

Tourism Minister: Indonesia More Than Just Bali and Terrorists

Jakarta Globe, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, June 07, 2012

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka
Pangestu. (JG Photo/Agung Chandra)

Related articles

A poor global perception of Indonesia coupled with a lack of infrastructure and connectivity are hampering foreign tourism growth, the nation’s tourism and creative economy minister said on Thursday.

“If you Google image [search] Indonesia, you will see the national flag, the Garuda [national symbol], and only one picture related to tourism: the Borobudur Temple,” Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said in a visit to the BeritaSatu Media Holdings office in Jakarta.

“But if you Google image Cambodia, you will see a lot of Angkor Wat images,” she added, referring to that country’s renowned Hindu temple complex.

Mari said international perceptions of Indonesia were tainted by terrorism and tsunamis. Meanwhile, Bali remains the main tourism point of reference for most.

“We need to change these perspectives by pushing more positive news about Indonesia and promoting tourism,” she said.

The ministry is targeting the number of foreign tourists to reach 10 million in 2014, but a lack of infrastructure and connectivity is hampering tourism growth.

Mari said the ministry is aiming for average annual growth in foreign tourism of 1 million people per year. Last year, there were 7.6 million foreign tourists and this year the ministry is targeting about 8 million.

“Hopefully in 2014, the number of foreign tourists can reach 10 million. This is still half of Malaysia’s foreign tourists though,” she said.

“What’s more important than numbers is the quality of the tourists. We want tourists to stay longer, spend more and return to Indonesia,” the former trade minister added.

The tourism sector generated a foreign exchange income of $8.6 billion in 2011, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.

Mari said foreign exchange income from the tourism sector was expected to reach $9.5 billion this year and $11 billion by 2014.

She added that domestic tourism is still fueling growth in the sector, with 125 million domestic tourists generating revenues of Rp 15 trillion ($1.6 billion) for the sector last year.

“We will continue to promote tourism destinations. There are approximately 200 points of tourism in 80 destinations in Indonesia. Indonesia is more than just Bali,” she said.

Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Bunaken Island in North Sulawesi and Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara are among the tourism gems, Mari said.

The ministry has a budget of Rp 400 billion for promotional purposes, relatively small compared to the foreign exchange income it has generated.

“Our branding, ‘Wonderful Indonesia,’ is not quite working. But I think the problem is not the message. It is the lack of infrastructure and connectivity,” she said.

She said that the number of direct flights to tourism destinations was still lacking and airports and seaports were overcapacity.

“To solve this, we need cooperation with the Public Works Ministry, State Enterprises Ministry and the Transportation Ministry. I can see that improvements have been done,” she said.

The ministry has divided the tourism destinations into seven categories: Sports tourism (diving, golf); eco tourism; cruise ship tourism; spa and medical tourism; culture and heritage tourism; culinary and shopping tourism; and MICE (meeting, incentives, conferences and events) tourism.