Indonesia Participates in Midwest's Largest Travel Exhibition
Indonesia once again attracted the attention of visitors at the largest travel exhibition in the Midwest, the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show (CTAS) 2024.
IDXChannel - Indonesia once again attracted the attention of visitors at the largest travel exhibition in the Midwest, the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show (CTAS) 2024.
The event was held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois on 13-14 January.
The Indonesian booth was among the 257 booths at CTAS representing 157 sectors of the tourism industry (travel agencies, tour operators, hospitality, airlines, cruise ships, and tourism promotion offices) from 8 countries and 25 United States (US) states.
More than 200,000 visitors participated in CTAS this year.
"Indonesia's participation in CTAS is an excellent opportunity to tap into the U.S. market through the promotion of Indonesian tourism to the local public because it is held at the beginning of the year before the spring holidays in March and April, and the interest and purchasing power of US citizens for travel are increasing after the pandemic. Meanwhile, the provision of Visa-on-Arrival facilities and entering the conducive endemic era is expected to further increase the interest of tourists to visit, especially to destinations beyond Bali, although Bali remains one of the most frequently asked about tourist destinations at CTAS every year," said Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Chicago, Listyowati, in a media release on Thursday (18/1/2024).
During the two-day exhibition, visitors to the Indonesian booth were consistently busy, showing high interest and a strong desire to travel to Indonesia. As in previous years, Indonesia's participation focused on promoting tourism and Indonesian arts and culture.
The Indonesian booth was arranged to showcase typical Indonesian accessories such as Bali umbrellas, batik, wayang (shadow puppets), dance masks, and a set of angklung (traditional musical instruments). Additionally, various promotional materials for Indonesian tourism, such as tourism brochures and information on featured Indonesian tourist destinations, were displayed.
Amidst the winter storm conditions in Chicago and extreme cold weather in January, the Consulate General of Indonesia in Chicago optimized CTAS by featuring Bespoke Travel and Tour, a travel agency from Yogyakarta.
In two days of the exhibition, they successfully attracted 70 potential buyers, received several tour package orders, and explored potential B2B collaborations expected to be sustainable.
The Consulate General of Indonesia in Chicago also utilised CTAS as a networking event and received collaboration offers from local media, travel bloggers, photographers, and tourism-related TV channels. (WHY)