Indonesian Culture, Tourism and Business Opportunities in Davao City

(L) Berlian Napitupulu, Consul General of Indonesia in Davao and

(R) Ian Ray Garcia of Mindanao Times/DDI share tourism prospects

in North Sumatra during the media briefing.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Davao holds press briefing on Tuesday to present their four-point agenda in the coming months. Among those that were undertaken; Tourism in North Sumatra, the 2nd Indonesian Food and Beverage Expo, the 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia that will be held in Tangerang, Indonesia and the 18th ASIAN Games also dubbed as Jakarta Palembang 2018 which will happen August this year.

Tourism in North Sumatra

If we look at the map, the Indonesian archipelago is a collection of islands that holds myriad treasures and off-the-beaten-path tourism destinations waiting to be explored. Indonesia has stunning landscapes, untouched and pristine waters, remote villages with ancient temples and structures. It also has diverse traditions and home to many vibrant and culture-rich cities. With over 13,500 islands under its jurisdiction one will surely find it mystifying which destination to explore in first.

Our friend, Ian Garcia of The Mindanao Times and DDI has shared to us his travel experience when he recently visited North Sumatra specifically the world’s largest lake, Lake Toba. It’s a body of water that sits in a crater of a volcano that was formed between 69,000 and 77,000 years ago. It is also believed to have been the consequence of a disastrous eruption back then. The lake is about 1,145 square kilometres and 450 meters deep. There is also an island within the lake that holds 4 municipalities each with unique attributes and sets of traditions.

Lake Toba is a beauty of nature waiting to be explored. Here, you can go swimming, water skiing, canoeing, fishing, wandering and even go biking around the caldera trail.

If you fancy an adventure on road less travelled, North Sumatra is the place to be. You may read more of Ian Garcia's North Sumatra adventure on his column at Mindanao Times, Wanderlust. He also complied photos of Lake Toba on his Facebook page.

2nd Indonesia Food and Beverage Expo 2018, Abreeza Mall, Davao City

After its first successful launch last year at the House of Indonesia, the Consulate General of Republic of Indonesia in Davao will hold its second Food and Beverage Expo come June 29 to July 1, 2018 from 10AM to 8PM at Abreeza Mall. The expo aims to introduce Indonesian consumer products, hold one on one business matching which will be held a day before the expo (if you’re interested, call (082) 299 2930 for details) and showcase Indonesia’s authentic cultural performances.

“This year we reduce the number of promotional activity but we make it bigger. This is not only an expo of our products, at the same time we organize business meetings and matching. On the 28th we are going to organize special sessions on one-on-one business matching. We will also have fun quizzes with prizes every day. We also invited professional dancers coming from Indonesia to perform Indonesian dances.” Said Indonesian Consul General, Berlian Napitupulu.

This expo is open to the public so if you are interested to finding business opportunities with Indonesian consumer products this is the right venue and time to go.

33rd Trade Expo Indonesia 2018

The annual trade expo of Indonesia is set on October 24-28, 2018 at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. This international tradeshow is B2B-focused and is designed to boost export product growth and export market expansion.

The 33rd TEI in 2018 brings up the theme “Creating Products for Global Opportunities” to promote quality products made in Indonesia for the global market, develop business networks, investment and present showcases of Indonesian premium and best products. Along with the exhibition, TEI also present a series of paralel activities consisting of Trade, Tourism and Investment Forum, Business Matching, Business Counseling, Regional Discussion, Overseas and Local Trade Mission, Export Start-Up Competition and Talk Show.

For more information and business opportunities, you may visit their website; http://www.tradexpoindonesia.com/

2018 Asian Games | Jakarta Palembang 2018

The 2018 Asian Games also known as Jakarta Palembang 2018, for the first time will be hosted by two cities this year, the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and and Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province.

This pan-Asian multi-sport event is scheduled to be held from August 18 to September 2, 2018. In Jakarta, the games will be held at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games happen.

(L) Indonesian Consul General, Berlian Napitupulu showed to us Indonesia's best pastries that goes with coolest names - Pang-Pang, Ping-Ping, Teng-Teng, Ting-Ting and Tong-Tong.

(R) One of Indonesia's high-value construction material, light-weight, durable and fire-resistant prefabricated boards.

The best way to know one's culture is through their food. So here sampling few of what's offered to us during the media briefing.

Indonesian Black Peanut Bread. It's Indonesia's version of our hopia,

always best paired with Java coffee.

This is Salak or the Snake Fruit. There's always a first time and it's my first to try this nature's wonder. The peeling is kind of firm and it really looks like a snake skin only that its thick and not messy. It has wan fruit meat that is sectioned and each comes with a seed. It has a faint jackfruit aroma. It's crunchy and it taste like a good combo of jackfruit and apple. They say this grow only in the Province of Sumatra, lucky for them. Would love to try some more!

When your tea or coffee mates has fancy names, cool!

Chicken Satai

Beef Rendang

Shrimps in Padang Sauce

In conclusion, needless to say, these initiatives will foster stronger ties between Davao City and Indonesia in terms of deeper understanding between cultures, vibrant tourism prospects, robust economic exchange, trade and business opportunities among two countries.

If you’re interested in all of these trade events, you may visit the office of the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Ecoland Subdivision, Ecoland Drive, Phase IV Davao City, Philippines. Or Call Tel. No.: (082) 299 2930 to 34