KARANGANYAR - PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) Branch Adi Soemarmo Surakarta Airport held Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Tourism Workshop entitled "Collaborative Destination Development; 500 Thousand Tourists Visit Solo Raya in 2015". The event was held at Lor In Hotel, Karanganyar, Thursday (12/11).
This event is packaged in the form of a panel discussion was opened by the Acting President, Director of Angkasa Pura Airports Polana B Pramesti and attended among others by the Karanganyar Regent Yuliatmono. The panel discussion presenting panelists Marketing Manager Indonesia AirAsia Yohanes Heraldo, Business Strategy and Development Garuda Indonesia Dwi Hendratno, Head of Surakarta Tourism Eny Tyasni Susana, Coordinator of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) Solo Raya Abdullah Suwarno, Chairman of DPS Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Solo Raya Saryono, and Acting Aviation Marketing Group Head Angkasa Pura Airports Ahmad Syaugi Syahab.
"The event aims are to stimulate the acceleration of infrastructure, increase new investments in the field of travel and tourism, as well as socialize culture tourism friendly in Solo Raya. Hopefully this discussion can be a momentum collaboration of all stakeholders of tourism to prepare Solo into a tourist destination that matured. Synergies among local governments, tourism businesses, airline, airport, and other infrastructure support, the vision is expected to bring in 500 thousand foreign tourists to Solo Raya in 2025 can be achieved, " explained Polana.
Currently, the number of tourist arrivals (tourists) to Solo Raya is still fairly minimal. In 2013 was recorded as many as 17 thousand tourists who visit the city of Solo. This number dropped to 13 thousand tourists in 2014. "It takes performance and close coordination between the local government and other elements of tourism to attract tourists to come to Solo," said Polana.
An activity which was attended by over one hundred participants from the tourism stakeholders both from the government, travel agents, hotels, airlines, and academics in the city of Solo and the surrounding areas. This event emphasizes the discussion to increase the potential of Solo as a city that is very prospective in the context of regional and international trade, and tourism. Given its strategic location, which is located in the middle between East Java, West Java and Jakarta, it is fit that Solo can be a stopover town for foreign tourists and domestic tourists while exploring tourist destinations in the island of Java. Moreover, mileage Solo to various favorite tourist destinations like Mount Bromo and Borobudur temple and can be used as a potential tourist arrivals to the City of Batik.
Meanwhile, General Manager of Adi Soemarmo Airport Abdullah Usman said it continues to make improvements in an effort to improve service to the tourists who come to Surakarta. "With the facilities and the capacity owned by Adi Soemarmo that can accommodate 1.8 million passengers per year, is expected to support efforts to bring international visitors to stop by and visit the Solo Raya," Usman said. [Arif Haryanto]
