Thai Foreign Minister's Visit to Borobudur Temple

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi invited the entourage of Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to Borobudur Temple, Magelang Regency, Central Java, on Friday (6/7/2018) afternoon. The two had just held a bilateral meeting entitled "The 9th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM)" in Yogyakarta. For about 30 minutes, the entourage toured the temple until descending around 3:30 p.m. WIB. They were seen taking photos together with the temple in the background, even taking "boomerangs," before leaving the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park complex. The atmosphere seemed relaxed that afternoon.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi explained that the Indonesian government is working to enhance bilateral cooperation with Thailand, including in the tourism sector. The country is considered a potential market for Borobudur Temple tourism, given that the majority of its population is Buddhist. "I invited him to Borobudur Temple because Thailand is Buddhist, and Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple. Coincidentally, we are currently focusing on developing tourism cooperation," Marsudi explained. She said that this collaboration aims to synergize, including promoting Indonesian tourism, particularly Borobudur Temple. "For example, tourists who come to Thailand will come to Indonesia, and tourists who come to Indonesia will come to Thailand," she added.

In fact, Retno continued, tourism promotion isn't limited to Borobudur Temple. There are 10 priority tourist destinations (the 10 New Balis). These 10 locations are Lake Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Mandalika, Wakatobi, the Seribu Islands, Morotai Island, Tanjung Lesung, Bromo Tengger, and Labuan Bajo. "However, Borobudur Temple is the closest to the culture and beliefs of the Thai people. This can take the form of religious tourism, one-destination-two-country tour packages, and so on," Retno explained.

Retno stated that the number of Thai tourists visiting Indonesia is over 100.000 per year. Meanwhile, the number of Indonesian tourists visiting Thailand far exceeds the number of visitors to Indonesia. "Therefore, we want to attract not only Thai tourists to Indonesia, but also foreign tourists who come to Thailand to combine their visits with Indonesia," she concluded.

Ricky P. Siahaan, Marketing and Service Director of PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko, added that the number of Thai tourists visiting Borobudur reaches 12.000 per year. This number will continue to increase through cooperation with the country.

Source: www.kompas.com (Author: Ika Fitriana)