Bengawan Travel Mart goes 'Beyond Bali'

Last week?s Bengawan Travel Mart (BTM) took the tourism industry ?Beyond Bali? to learn what Solo, the undiscovered jewel of Indonesia, has to offer.

130 international buyers and 60 sellers participated in BTM, which Solo Mayor Joko Widodo described as a unique networking forum.

The format for the event was based on a ?speed networking? concept, which saw tourism suppliers rotate every 5 minutes to speak individually with each participating buyer from across the Asia Pacific.

Senior Sales Manager Gumaya Tower Hotel, Semarang Nungki said he was impressed with the number of international buyers participating in the event.

Puji Astuti, Sales Manger showcased the city?s only adventure tourism company, Cartenz Adventure Service, as a unique point of difference for agents trying to sell the city of Solo to their clients.

The general consensus amongst buyers was also positive with one participant saying, ?I learnt a lot more about the destination and I was able to get lots of contacts from providers that I would not otherwise have found.?

The main aim of the BTM was to help increase the profile of Solo as both a leisure and upcoming MICE destination within Indonesia.

So, where in the world is Solo? Solo is an Indonesian city of more than 600,000 people located within Central Java.

The city is approximately an hour?s flight from Jakarta or one and a half hours by car.

During the BTM, the city showcased its 20+ starred hotels, which boast a growing number of meeting facilities.