Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Revitalizes Tourism and Economy at Indonesia - Papua New Guinea Border

11-07-23

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf), Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, praised the successful organization of the 2023 Crossborder Skouw Festival, which took place on July 6, 2023. The attendees 1000-1500 are coming from both Papua and Papua New Guinea, at the event that centered around the National Crossborder Post (PLBN) RI-PNG in Skouw, Muara Tami District, Jayapura City, Papua. "I thank everyone involved. This is the third Crossborder Skouw Festival, and it forms part of our efforts to strengthen brotherhood, boost the economy, and achieve our collective goal of recovering from the pandemic," said Menparekraf Sandiaga. He also mentioned that this event is a direct implementation of President Joko Widodo's directive to host events across Indonesia to ensure economic equality for all citizens.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, officially opened the "Skouw Crossborder Festival" at the Skouw Integrated Border Post in Papua, on Thursday (7/6/2023). The Minister also expressed his gratitude to all parties for the successful organization of the crossborder event for the third time.

For the third time, the Crossborder Skouw Festival was held at the easternmost gateway of Indonesia. The Festival is part of the effort to achieve the target of 8.5 million foreign tourists and 1.4 billion domestic tourist movements this year. It aims to enhance the working relationship and friendship between Indonesia and neighboring Papua New Guinea. The festival was initiated by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, in collaboration with BNPP, PLBN, the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in Vanimo, TNI, POLRI, Jayapura City Tourism Office, local government, private sector, the running community "Lelarian Sana Sini", and local MSMEs in Papua.

The Crossborder Skouw Festival is a fun festival encompassing various exciting activities like music, sports, and MSMEs, featuring performances from local Papua musicians such as Epo D'Fenomeno, MAC, Dave Solution, and Blager. Additionally, there were performances from SMAN 2 Jayapura's marching band and the modern dance group Freedom Squad, which got festival goers dancing. In total, about 100 local workers (60 construction workers and 40 cleaners), as well as 110 artists and event supporters (66 musicians, 45 marching band crew members, and 10 dance crew members) were involved in the event.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf) Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno attended the festival and participated in a 5 km fun run, with a route crossing two countries (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). The run, which also featured members of the TNI/POLRI and the "Lelarian Sana Sini" community, marked the close of the festival.

Thirty-two booths of local MSMEs across various sectors such as F&B, fashion, and souvenirs added vibrancy to the festival. There was also a coffee exhibition in collaboration with local coffee shops and baristas. Not only were visitors able to sample the coffee, but they could also buy it, either ready to drink or as beans. The average transaction at F&B stands was recorded at around IDR 25-50 thousand.

In his speech, Menparekraf Sandiaga said he hoped the festival could be held annually in various border areas of Indonesia. This would offer a multiplier effect on employment, provide local communities with opportunities to get involved, promote local wisdom, and recognize and appreciate local cultural heritage, thereby enhancing pride in and identification with Wonderful Indonesia.

On the day of the Crossborder Skouw Festival 2023, the economic turnover nearly reached IDR 3 billion, and the economic transaction volume for the day was close to IDR 200 million. This data indicates a significant boost to the economy, particularly benefiting local MSMEs and creating job opportunities. Furthermore, the creative economy sector is now one of the largest contributors to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), at 7.35%. The 2021/2022 Tourism and Creative Economy Outlook shows that the three largest contributing sub-sectors to GDP and exports are culinary (39%), fashion (17%), and craft (14.9%).

Stay tuned for the latest updates from the "Crossborder Skouw Festival" on the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy's YouTube account, and Instagram @kemenparekraf.ri.

About the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf)

Driven by a vision to position Indonesia as a world-class tourism destination, the Republic of Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has made various breakthroughs to continue fostering tourism and the creative industry in Indonesia. The Ministry's strategy focuses on developing national tourism sectors and marketing with an international orientation, while also enhancing the capability of creative economy players in the development of creative economy products to make them highly competitive.

About National Crossborder Post (PLBN) Skouw

Inaugurated by President Jokowi on May 9, 2017, PLBN Skouw is part of the "Nawa Cita" program, aimed at building Indonesia from the periphery by strengthening regions and villages within the framework of a unitary state. PLBN Skouw is located in Muaratami District, Jayapura City, Papua, and is one of two national border posts in Papua Province, the other being Sota in Merauke.

To support mobility and economic needs of the residents of Papua and Papua New Guinea, the government has built Skouw Market, located just 500 meters from PLBN Skouw. Established on a 3,600 square meter plot of land, the market consists of 506 stalls and is usually bustling on market days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday).

On non-market days, around 300 people cross the border from PNG per day, whereas on market days, the number can reach up to 1,000 people per day. On Saturdays and Sundays, many Jayapura residents and surrounding community members visit PLBN Skouw with their families.