Australian Embassy Launches #AussieBanget Campaign to Promote Culture, Boost Tourism
Jakarta. Australian culture involves more than barbecues, beaches and kangaroos, according to Australian ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson at the launching ceremony of "#AussieBanget" campaign at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday (31/01).
The year-long campaign, loosely translated to "It's So Aussie," aimed to encourage Indonesians to get to know Australian culture beyond the stereotypes.
"With #AussieBanget, we're trying to encourage Indonesians and Australians to think of what we have in common. That's the important message," Grigson said at the launch.
Indonesian fashion designer Sally Koeswanto and her Australian counterpart Jaimie Sortino also showcased each of their collections at #AussieBanget's launching ceremony to kick-start February's campaign, which focuses on fashion. Each month will see different lifestyle-related themes.
The ambassador took the fashion shows as an example that both countries share a very strong tradition of being creative, which is why the campaign also aims to foster partnerships in the creative sectors.
In January, preceding the official launch of#AussieBanget, the embassy also debuted the Australian Indonesian Cinema Festival across various Indonesian cities.
Boosting Tourism
The embassy also hopes the campaign will increase mobility to and from Australia, in both the tourism and education sectors.
"In the last two years, we've been trying to increase the number of tourists and students to and from Australia. Last year both numbers rose, so this year I want to see an increase [again] from both countries," Grigson said.
Last year, the number of Indonesians studying in Australian universities grew by 3 percent. Additionally, Indonesian students going to vocational schools or colleges in Australia rose by 8 percent.
Almost 200,000 Indonesians ventured to the land down under as tourists, marking at least a 10 percent increase from 2015.
Meanwhile, 1.3 million Australians visited Indonesia last year.
Grigson also said that he hoped that these figures would translate into more job opportunities in both countries, especially in the creative sector.
Two-Way Street
Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) head Triawan Munaf, who attended the ceremony, commended the campaigning efforts.
"We still have weak progress in promoting Indonesian culture overseas because we're not always ready to 'package' what we have to offer," Triawan said.
"If we want to promote it as a tourist destination, we have to shape it up in terms of cleanliness and accessibility among other things. Don't just invite people to come without prepping up the place," he said, referring to his recent visit to Lolai village in Tanah Toraja, dubbed the "land above the clouds," which he says is picturesque and rich in culture.
Bekraf is working together with the Ministry of Tourism to come up with new ways to promote tourism to Indonesia. Triawan also highlighted that culinary tourism is on the rise and Indonesia can capitalize on this.
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