VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

From 22 to 23 September 2022, the Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies Peru (Asociación Peruana de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo / APAVIT) organized the Annual Tourism Exhibition located in Patriotic Park Sanctuary No.2, Miraflores, Lima.

According to a release received on Saturday (24/9), the exhibition was attended by more than 100 exhibitors in the tourism industry, opened by Deputy Peruvian Tourism Minister, Julia Isabel Alvarez Novoa and APAVIT President, Ricardo Acosta Rodriguez La Rosa. Since 2018, Indonesia has participated independently in the APAVIT tourism exhibition, but this time the country performed with Thailand and Malaysia as the members of the ASEAN Committee in Lima (ACL).

In the opening ceremony, the three ACL countries had the opportunity to put on a show art, in which Indonesia performed angklung traditional music instrument, while Thailand and Malaysia each performed a traditional dance.

Angklung performance was done by members of Dharma Wanita women's organization and staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Lima who performed: El Condor Pasa and Yesterday (Beatles). They got applause from visitors, especially the song El Condor Pasa, which is a folk song by Peruvian composer. “This is the first time I have seen and heard a musical instrument angklung. It's really amazing that this bamboo musical instrument can bring our folk song, El Condor Pasa with a good tone” says Andrea Pavia, a Peruvian citizen who runs a travel agency in city ​​of Lima.

On this occasion, the Indonesian Ambassador to Peru concurrently Bolivia, Marina Estella Anwar Bey invited the visitors to dance poco-poco which was warmly welcomed by the audience by dancing together, among others, the Speaker of Peruvian Parliament, María del Carmen Alva Prieto, Ambassador of Malaysia, Fenny Nuli, Ambassador of Thailand Sorayut Chasombat, APAVIT President Ricardo Acosta Rodriguez La Rosaand APAVIT Vice President, Patricia Campos.

The Indonesian booth presented by the Indonesian Embassy in Lima displayed videos and information about Indonesia's leading tourism destination. It also displayed a pair of mannequins dressed in traditional West Sumatran clothes that attracted visitors, both tourism actors and the general public to take pictures with the mannequin.

During the two days of the exhibition, the Indonesian booth was visited by more than 305 visitors. Most visitors asked for information on tourist destinations Indonesia's flagship, the latest regulations for tourist visits to Indonesia in the future post-pandemic, and consular regulations regarding visit visas.

The Covid-19 pandemic that has hit the world has greatly affected tourist visits foreign countries to Indonesia. The participation of the Indonesian Embassy in Lima in APAVIT tourism exhibitions is one of the efforts of to better introduce Indonesia to the people of Peru. One of the visitors to the Indonesian booth, Luz Rosario Azana
Bolce said a visit to the Indonesian booth reminded him of his stay with her husband and children for five years in Indonesia (Serang, Bandung, Banyuwangi and Denpasar). “I love Indonesia and hope one day I can return to Indonesia, as we have done more than ten times last year," he said.

By carrying out promotional activities for Indonesia like this, it is expected to increase the number of Peruvian tourists visiting Indonesia, which is blessed with natural beauty, ethnic diversity, customs, arts and culture as one of the best tourist destinations in the world. (Indonesian Embassy in Lima, Peru/VOI)