Introducing Jakarta Tourism to London, JXB Explores Potential for Collaboration

PT Jakarta Tourisindo (Jakarta Experience Board/JXB) and Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy (Parekraf) Agency made a working visit to London.

Hope it can be the beginning of a collaboration that will be established

JXB President Director Novita Dewi assessed that the working visit to London was an opportunity for JXB to witness and learn firsthand how London manages the city as a tourist destination. It started with a meeting with the Mayor of London Office regarding the World Cities Culture Forum, a visit to Brixton Creative Zones, a meeting with London and Partners, a discussion about Fusion Cities with the City of London, and then a visit to The Great Escape Festival and Queen Elizabeth Park.

"Hope it can be the beginning of a collaboration that will be established. Jakarta is a potential market for tourists thus we can explore its potential thus it is not less attractive than other destinations in the world," she expressed, in a written statement received by beritajakarta.id, Thursday (5/19).

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It could also be part of the working visit of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to several cities in Europe, along with other BUMDs.

Regarding the meeting with the Mayor of London Office regarding the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), about 40 cities in the WCCF network would collaborate with the theme Planet, Place, and People in the concept of Summit (annual), Webinar, and Leadership Exchange. At that time, JXB and Parekraf were exploring and following up on Jakarta's invitation to join the WCCF.

JXB also made visits to Brixton Creative Zones. This area is part of the Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZ) which is the government's effort to develop districts with active creative communities.

They took the time to study several Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZ) locations which consist of seven zones, namely Brixton, Hackney Wick Fish Island, Hounslow, Croydon, Haringey, Lewisham, and Waltham Forest. The knowledge sharing conducted during the meeting could be used by Jakarta, which is also preparing creative zones.

The discussion results would be followed up to prepare for collaboration between the Jakarta administration and the City of London Government regarding the development of the Creative Economic and Investment industries.

About the next visit, London and Partners (L&P) is an institution under the City of London that is tasked with formulating economic growth strategies and promoting London as a center for all destinations, from education, tourism, health, business, and so on.

In its operational activities, L&P has branches in several major cities of the world whose task is to promote the City of London in various fields to have a positive effect on London's economic growth.

She went on to say that the meeting was a form of sharing knowledge considering that several important things carried out by L&P could be absorbed and studied and replicated for the implementation of Jakarta, especially when the Jakarta initiative will become the center of the economy and finance after the capital relocation.

"This is important to position Jakarta as a city with a global nuance. JXB much needs benchmarks with modern and agile organizations like L&P," she continued.

She added that the City of London is hosting Fusion City. Fusion City is a 5-year program from the City of London that focuses on value-added culture, and creativity with education and training.

Currently, the Fusion City network has been built in various countries including Bandung, Melbourne, Sydney, Bangalore, Doha, and New York. This meeting also sharpens Jakarta's initiative to develop Jakarta as a Fusion City by networking with the City of London and its partners who have implemented the Fusion City system.

As a collaborator and executor of national and international activities in Jakarta, JXB also studied and saw firsthand The Great Escape Festival to get an overview of the implementation of international-scale activities. The festival was able to bring up to 3,000 people to Brighton City in a short period and bring economic value to the city.

They also visited the management of the former Olympics area at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It was a benchmark for the management of the sports center owned by the administration.

After the visit, she ensured, there would be a deepening of cooperation opportunities between Jakarta through BUMD following their fields. Hopefully, it could inspire the development of the city of Jakarta.

"This visit was facilitated by the British Council and the British Embassy, which connects various stakeholders related to tourism in London," she added.

As for the information, the meeting was also attended by JXB President Director Novita Dewi; Economy and Finance Assistant Sri Haryati; and Parekraf Agency Head Andhika Permata.