REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NUSA DUA -- Tourism Minister Arief Yahya inaugurated the Bali Beyond and Travel Fair (BBTF) 2016, an annual tourism business event, in Nusa Dua, Badung District, Bali Province, on Thursday.

"The world is increasingly recognizing the BBTF as 80 percent of the buyers constitute international tourism businesses," the minister stated after opening BBTF 2016, which is being held on June 23-26.

According to Yahya, the event, which brings together tourism businesses from across the world, can help to realize the government's annual target to attract 20 million foreign tourists to Indonesia by 2019.

Ketut Ardana, the organizer of BBTF 2016, explained that 222 buyers from 30 countries across the world were participating in this year's event.

Of the total number, 63 are platinum buyers, who are able to bring more than 10 thousand foreign tourists every year.

Meanwhile, the sellers comprise 154 operators from 20 provinces in Indonesia, excluding Bali.

Both buyers and sellers are businessmen operating in different areas of the tourism sector, such as hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, cruise ships, conference organizers, travel operators, villas, spas, and other tourism industries.

Pre-scheduled appointments are fixed for holding direct business meetings for sellers and buyers keen on holding long-term business negotiations.

BBTF 2016 is themed "Land of Toraja." Toraja is a picturesque mountainous district in South Sulawesi Province that is home to an indigenous group known as the Torajans.

In addition to the business event, BBTF 2016 organizes travel packages for some participants, including platinum buyers, to four tourist destinations in Banyuwangi in East Java, Komodo in East Nusa Tenggara, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Tanah Toraja in South Sulawesi, and North Bali and Bangli in Bali.

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