By : Ananda Prameswari )*
The 2023 ASEAN Summit will be held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Residents of Labuan Bajo are ready to welcome the guests of the ASEAN delegation who will hold a meeting. A warm welcome from local residents is very important, because it will make the ASEAN Summit a success. They will welcome the delegates who come, because this event is profitable, especially in the field of tourism.
ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nation) is an economic and political union of 10 countries in Southeast Asia which was founded on August 8, 1967 in Thailand. Indonesia is an active member of ASEAN, apart from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Timor Leste.
Indonesia will become Chair of ASEAN in 2023 and this year’s Summit will be held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. All residents there unanimously welcomed the guests of the ASEAN Summit delegation in a friendly manner and contributed to the success of the event.
The Regent of West Manggarai, NTT, Edistasius Endi asked the people of Labuan Bajo to jointly succeed in the Asean Summit in May 2023. One of them, by behaving friendly, both to tourists and guests of the ASEAN Summit.
Endi also asked the public to maintain cleanliness and maintain security and order. The people of West Manggarai, NTT took their respective roles, so that the ASEAN Summit event had an economic impact on the local community. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and farmers were also asked to present good quality products.
In essence, all Labuan Bajo residents are ready to welcome the guests of the 2023 ASEAN Summit delegation, because Labuan Bajo is increasingly recognized by ASEAN leaders. If the delegation comes to NTT and is fascinated by its beauty, they will plan to have a vacation later in the middle of the year or the end of the year.
The ASEAN Summit because it is very profitable for them, and the region will be increasingly recognized by Southeast Asians and the rest of the world. The tourism industry in NTT will rise again. The reason is because when there is the 2023 ASEAN Summit, international journalists will come to cover and then they will be amazed by the natural beauty of Labuan Bajo.
If Labuan Bajo’s nature and tourism are highlighted by international media, the place will become more popular and it is hoped that foreign tourist visits will also increase. They will travel there because they watch the coverage, both on television and on the YouTube channel.
When Labuan Bajo tourism becomes more popular, it is very good and foreign tourist visits will increase the income of local entrepreneurs there. Especially for hotel and other lodging businesses. After 3 years of the pandemic and business being quiet, at the Summit the hotel occupancy will be filled again. Both from the summit participants and foreign tourists who want to take a vacation and enjoy the natural beauty of NTT.
Meanwhile, President Jokowi stated that he wanted to ensure preparations for the Asean Summit in May. Some venues are all ready, all that’s left is a little touch. Labuan Bajo is ready to hold the 2023 ASEAN Summit.
The choice of Labuan Bajo as the venue for the 2023 ASEAN Summit is actually somewhat surprising because international events are usually held in Bali or other big cities. However, Labuan Bajo is considered ready to become the venue for the Summit, because it already has adequate infrastructure.
The government wants Labuan Bajo and its surroundings to be known by the delegates to the 2023 ASEAN Summit. So, they don’t only know Bali as a tourist destination in Indonesia. There are still NTT and other tourism areas with great potential.
Therefore the residents of Labuan Bajo are very enthusiastic because this is the first time the ASEAN Summit has been held in their area. This is a great honor because the government gives trust. The community welcomed the 2023 ASEAN Summit and promised to be friendly to every guest delegation who came.
The ASEAN Summit will be held in the Tana Mori Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Labuan Bajo. The infrastructure that is being built to support this event, namely the construction of a round about Beach Club , wharf shelters, landscaping and installation of geomats on the road corridor in the Tana Mori area, helipads, and construction of a parking lot with a capacity of 100 cars.
The people are happy because infrastructure development is not only useful when the 2023 ASEAN Summit takes place, but also afterwards. The government has calculated the schedule for the inauguration of the infrastructure and its use for the next decades. These infrastructures will make it easier for the people of Labuan Bajo to move around.
The 2023 ASEAN Summit was welcomed by the people of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. They are happy because they are trusted to be the venue for an international event, and will be friendly to every delegation who comes. The 2023 ASEAN Summit will have a positive effect on the people of Labuan Bajo because it will increase the tourism sector and increase their income.
)* The author is a Media Room Contributor
