The Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Dept. (Parekraf) took part in the Incentives, Business Travel & Meetings (IBTM) World Barcelona exhibition at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain, November 28-30, 2023. Jakarta's participation in this event is the first time.

IBTM World is the leading global exhibition in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events Industry sector, which is held every year in Barcelona.

The main aim of this exhibition is to bring together MICE industry actors between Exhibitors and Buyers, by creating mutually beneficial business for organizations as well as opening up opportunities and building networks.

During three days, the event presents more than 3,000 attractive destinations and buyers who are ready to transact and network with 15,000 industries from 100 countries around the world with the top five countries including the United States, England, Germany, France, and Netherlands.

The Parekraf Dept. facilitated nine Tourism Industry co-exhibitors operating in the Venue, Hotel, Destination Management Company, and Tourism Industry Association business sectors.

Jakarta Parekraf Dept. Head, Andhika Permata said that participation in the Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) exhibition was expected to contribute to Jakarta's projected PAD target in 2024, namely Rp 5.4 trillion from Hotel, Restaurant, and Entertainment taxes.

"The world of marketing and promotion will never stop, it must continue to be done to maintain the user mindset that Jakarta should be considered as a host for international MICE events," he expressed, Wednesday (11/29).

He uttered that Jakarta's consistency as a city capable of holding international standard MICE events means that the Jakarta Parekraf Dept. as the regulator must continue to innovate.

The combination of MICE and leisure events could be made, especially since Jakarta won the award as Best Cities To Visit in 2024 from Lonely Planet.

"Jakarta must take this momentum to show a new identity that Jakarta is a complete package as a world-class MICE and Leisure tourism destination," he explained.

Marketing and Attraction Division Head, Sherly Yuliana uttered the MICE event as Jakarta's mainstay was expected to be a good promotional media to showcase Jakarta's works in terms of cultural richness and beauty of the destination.

"As well as local creations that are creative and competitive," she uttered.

In the meantime, Tourism Industry Division Head, Iffan explained Jakarta is still top of mind for organizing international MICE events for the European and Asian markets.

He added that organizing MICE events always involves many business/industry sectors and many parties and absorbs a large number of tourism workers, this causes the resulting economic impact to have a multiplier effect or a wide impact (multiplier effect), which is beneficial and can be felt by many parties.

"Moreover, the spending power of the MICE segment is around 8 to 10 times that of ordinary tourists," he uttered.

Those nine Tourism Industry co-exhibitors were namely the Jakarta Convention Center Convention Center, Raffles Hotel, Swisotel Jakarta PIK Avenue, The St. Regis Jakarta, Shangri-la Hotel, InterContitental Jakarta, Amora Mulia Tur and Travel, Indonesian Destination Panorama and the Association of Indonesian Exhibition Companies (ASPERAPI).

The #Jakarta Heart of Mice Booth Pavilion covering an area of 38 square meters with a strategic location at J22, is ready to compete for the European and South American MICE markets at the IBTM World Barcelona exhibition.

Aside that, the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Dept. also showed the rich variety of Betawi Batik styles and motifs on the international stage by collaborating with its partners (Jakpreneur), namely Batik Gobang, for a batik showcase and at the same time promoting the fashion sub-sector of the creative economy.