Governor Of North Sulawesi-CEO Jeju Air In Cooperation To Advance Tourism And Creative Economy

The Governor of North Sulawesi (Sulut), Olly Dondokambey and Jeju Air CEO, Mr. E Baek Kim. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Governor of North Sulawesi (North Sulawesi), Olly Dondokambey and the CEO of Jeju Air, Mr. E Baek Kim signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the tourism sector and the creative economy. North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey in a written statement said the tourism sector is one of the strategic sectors that contribute to foreign exchange. "Good connectivity causes the younger generation who live in remote islands to stay in school and receive good education," he said, quoted from Antara, Saturday, September 17. The Governor of North Sulawesi (Sulut), Olly Dondokambey and CEO of Jeju Air, Mr. E Baek Kim signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the tourism sector and the creative economy. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by the fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia, Megawati Sukarnoputri and the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Korea, Gandi Sulistiyanto. Megawati Sukarnoputri in Seoul in a release from the North Sulawesi Diskominfo said the signing of the Jeju Air Memorandum of Understanding and the North Sulawesi Provincial Government was proof that Indonesian tourism was attractive to the people of South Korea. "Through this Win Win agreement, there is a wider opportunity for collaboration between tourism and creative industry players between the two countries," he said. Furthermore, the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Korea, Gandi Sulistiyanto said that connectivity is the main key to creating prosperity. The airline Jeju Air not only allows the people of South Korea to access North Sulawesi, but also the people of North Sulawesi, especially the younger generation of tourism and creative industry players for access to the South Korean market, including studying Hallyu/Korean Wave. The Korean people are not foreign people for the province of North Sulawesi because before the pandemic, South Korean tourists were one of the most tourists to visit North Sulawesi. A fairly close distance is that about five hours of flight duration between Jeju and Manado is expected to further increase tourists visiting North Sulawesi. In addition, there are also strong cultural and culinary similarities between the people of North Sulawesi and South Korea such as culinary that feels spicy and acidic. Jeju Air CEO, Mr. E Baek Kim, in his remarks, emphasized that Indonesian nature tourism, especially North Sulawesi Province, is very well known to the people of South Korea. So far, there have only been 23 flights by South Korean airlines to Indonesia and through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, Jeju Air will seek to open routes to various regions in Indonesia, including Bali, Lombok, Yogyakarta and Jakarta. The Head of the Steering Committee of the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of North Sulawesi and Jeju Air for the Joint Development of the Tourism and Creative Economy Sector. The signing of the MoU will be followed up by opening routes from airports in South Korea such as Incheon, Busan, and Jeju to Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado before the end of 2022. This was done ahead of the 50th Anniversary of the RI-Korsel Bilateral Relations Year in 2023. facilitated by the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, the discussion of the Memorandum of Understanding was carried out online for two months. Since formulating, the Memorandum of Understanding has been aimed at increasing collaboration between tourism industry players and growing new talents in the field of the creative economy. The signing was attended by the Mayor of Bitung, Maurits Mantiri, Member of the North Sulawesi Provincial DPRD, Rocky Wowor, representatives of Jeju Air and the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, as well as representatives from the North Sulawesi Provincial Government attended online.