13 Nov 2015
Karanganyar- PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) Adi Soemarmo Branch Surakarta held Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Tourism Workshop with the theme Collaborative Destination Development; 500 Thousand Tourists Visit Solo Raya in 2025. These events held at Lor In Hotel, Karanganyar Thursday (12/11/2015).
This event packaged in the form of a panel discussion was opened by the caretaker President Director of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) Polana B Pramesti and attended by the Karanganyar Regent Yuliatmono. The panel discussion presents panelists namely Marketing Manager Indonesia AirAsia John Heraldo, Business Strategy and Development Garuda Indonesia Dwi Hendratno, Head of Tourism Surakarta Eny Tyasni Susana, Coordinator of the Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) Solo Raya Abdullah Suwarno, Chairman of the DPSA Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Solo Raya Saryono, and Caretaker Aviation Marketing Group Head Angkasa Pura I Ahmad Syaugi Syahab.
The event aims to stimulate the acceleration of infrastructure, increase new investments in travel and tourism sectors, and also to socialize friendly tourism community culture in the region of Solo Raya. Hopefully this discussion can be a momentum for collaboration among all tourism stakeholders to prepare Solo became a matured tourist destination. The synergy between local governments, tourism entrepreneurs, airlines, airports and other infrastructure supports, is expected the vision to bring of 500 thousand foreign tourists to Solo Raya in 2025 can be achieved, Polana explained.
Currently, the number of foreign tourist visits to Solo Raya is still less. In 2013, the foreign tourists who visit Solo city only recorded as many as 17 thousand. This number dropped to 13 thousand foreign tourists in 2014. It was needed a performance and close coordination between local governments and other elements of tourism to attract tourists to come to Solo, added Polana.
This event was attended by over one hundred participants consisting of tourism stakeholders, both in government agencies, travel agents, hotels, airlines, and academics in the Solo city and the surrounding areas.
This event emphasizes on discussion to increase the potential of Solo as a very prospective city in the context of regional and international trade, and tourism. Considering the strategic location, which is located in the middle between East Java, West Java, and Jakarta, rightly Solo can be a stopover city for foreign tourists and domestic tourists when exploring tourist destinations in the island of Java. Moreover, the distance of Solo to various favorite tourist destinations such as Borobudur and Mount Bromo can be used as potential tourist to come to that Batik City.
Meanwhile, General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) Adi Soemarmo Branch Abdullah Usman said, it continues to make improvements in an effort to improve service to the tourists who come to Surakarta. With facility and capacity owned by Adi Soemarmo Airport that can accommodate 1.8 million passengers per year, is expected to support the efforts to bring international visitors to stopover and visit in Solo Raya, said Usman.
