INDONESIAN-BASED, travel PR and brand agency, Accommindo, announced that it will work together with one of the country‟s largest in-bound travel operators, Smailing Tour DMC, in the development of travel content for Indonesia‟s new prioritized tourism destinations known as the “10 New Balis.”
The 10 destinations, earmarked by President Jokowi and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, are Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Belitung (Bangka Belitung), Tanjung Lesung (Banten), Seribu Islands (Jakarta), Borobudur Temple (Central Java), Mount Bromo (East Java), Mandalika Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Komodo Island (East Nusa Tenggara), Wakatobi National Park (Southeast Sulawesi), and Morotai (North Maluku).
The destination that has gathered significant recent interest is Mandalika, a massive project led by the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). The Indonesian state-owned company, recognized for developing and operating the integrated tourism complex, Nusa Dua in southern Bali, was established in 1973 after an exhaustive study by the Indonesian government and the World Bank that sought to create an environmentally sustainable and integrated resort complex. That successful model they hope to replicate in South Lombok and other parts of the country.
To date US$300 million has been committed to Mandalika along with the Vinci Construction Grands Projet signing a development framework agreement in excess of US$900 million.” French-based Vinci Construction Grands Projets is a subsidiary of Vinci, a global player in designing and building major civil engineering structures and buildings.
Smailing DMC CEO, Jason Lim, says now‟s the right time to create interest in these destinations: “Our role is to develop content marketing with genuine “experiences” that inform, entertain and inspire.” The recognized travel company is well prepared to build the travel options in the Next 10” says Mr. Lim. “We have 95 full time foreign and local travel professionals based in Bali and Yogyakarta who can support these 10 new destinations to meet the needs of global in-bound travellers.”
Tom O‟Brien, Director Utama of Accommindo, a Bali based agency specializing in travel and hospitality content, branding and communications, agrees that unique local experiences are what today‟s travelers crave. Accommindo and Smailing DMC will work together with the idea that every destination has its own story to tell and the best approach to travel marketing is to tempt travellers with the opportunity of discovery.
Millennials would prefer to put more effort in saving money in other parts of their lives and put it towards the right travel opportunities they believe will provide a special experience.
The Millennial Traveller Report, released by the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation, says more than 320 million trips abroad will be made by young travelers by the year 2020, an increase of 47 percent from 2013. Yet many modern travelers are not satisfied with lying around a beach for their entire vacation. They don’t want to be perceived as tourists, and they’re not interested in tourist attractions. Instead, they will invest significant amounts of money for a great experience: a cool restaurant, a massive music festival, a wild rafting trip or a unique hiking trail they’ve never seen before.
“Millennials would prefer to put more effort in saving money in other parts of their lives and put it towards the right travel opportunities they believe will provide a special experience,” says Mr. Lim. “And a powerful way to reach this audience is content marketing.”
Accommindo recently launched the thenexten.com, a blog showcasing updates for the country‟s upcoming destinations and encourages the development of destination content which could be a lone blogger or videographer, a NY Times reporter or even an entire film crew.
“Take the Thai film industry as an example of how to reach a wider audience.” Mr. O‟Brien cites Alex Garland’s 1997 bestselling novel The Beach, which glorified the backpacking trail. Filmed in 2000, the 20th Century Fox made film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was shot at Maya Bay, near Phuket providing a substantial spike in travellers to Bangkok’s backpacker haven, Khao San Road, and Thailand’s southern islands.
Indonesia‟s iconic destinations make for great stories and as awe-inspiring locations for films according to Jakarta-based Gary Hayes, the Indonesian unit producer on Eat Pray Love. After selling millions of copies, Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 book inspired hordes of spiritual tourists to visit Bali especially following the release of the film in 2010. “Indonesia is true „movie‟ country with amazing backdrops of dramatic landscapes, diversified cultures, history and majestic monuments.”
