Indonesia is lucky. Lucky to be blessed with breathtaking vistas, a people whose spirit of hospitality comes easily, a fascinating culture both preserved in history and lived out daily, and biodiversity matched by few countries in the world. And the food isn’t bad either.
Actually, I take that back. Indonesia is very lucky. And I think most Indonesians know it. Most Indonesians outside the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, that is.
Harsh words? Perhaps. But here’s the thing: In my humble bule opinion, either the ministry is oblivious to the fact that Indonesia is a dream destination, or it is asleep at the wheel when it comes to expressing that fact coherently in promotional material.
Up for a case study? OK.
Due largely to the historic presidential election and historic economic meltdown in my home country, the United States, I’ve been watching a fair amount of CNN and CNBC in recent months. All right, a lot of Travel and Living, too — for “Project Runway,” if you must pry.My taste in TV aside, these are channels that strive after a well-heeled, well-traveled clientele. The sort of people who want to take exciting vacations to far-flung destinations and have the money to do so in style. In short, Pak Tourism Minister, this is your audience and you want their business. And considering the global economic slowdown is well and truly upon us, you need them now more than ever.I’ve seen no shortage of tourism-related advertising on these networks. South Koreans shop and eat their way through the ups and downs of CNBC’s Nasdaq charts. Wolf Blitzer practically has to weave through China’s hutongs to get on screen.. And India? I have seen enough “Incredible India” ads to last me clear through to my final reincarnation, thank you very much.And Indonesia’s contribution? Well, I saw an “Enjoy Jakarta” ad recently. Does that count? I hope not, because the ad I saw was truly disappointing: A voice-over in gratingly poor English; an animated backdrop more reminiscent of a PowerPoint presentation than a serious PR campaign; and painfully obvious dubbing that left the actors scrambling to mouth their lines in time with the sound. Technically speaking, poor. Content-wise? Even worse. “Bargain shopping! International cuisine! Open spaces! History!” the narrator trumpets, without citing even one specific example, without describing even one unique Jakarta street scene, event or custom. If I’m an American traveler looking for generic bargain shopping, Jakarta isn’t going to appear on my list. If I want an advantageous exchange rate, I’ll skip the $2,000 flight to Soekarno-Hatta and visit Tijuana instead. If I’m a German, Krakow’s just a train ride away. Japanese? Try Hangzhou. Same thing with so-called international cuisine.. And open spaces? In Jakarta? Don’t even go there. The fact is, I’m not going to trek all the way out to Indonesia for something I can get anywhere. I want something uniquely Indonesian, so get out there and sell it to me. Angry as I am that this is the one TV advertisement for Indonesian tourism I have seen so far, what really gets me steaming is the recent PR campaign out of our friendly neighbor to the north.
“Malaysia: Truly Asia” is a great campaign, don’t get me wrong. And if you’ve seen the ads yourself I’m sure you’ll agree. Sunny, vibrant, chock-full of gorgeous landscapes, enticing foods and artistic displays. Pretty classy and, for me, pretty effective. But what is so frustrating about Truly Asia is that it is stealthily, smilingly stealing Indonesia’s cachet with tourists. Want to watch a wayang performance? Interested in diving on a pristine coral reef? Does a romp with an orang-utan sound good? These ads show us there’s no need to brave Jakarta’s smoggy streets or fly Garuda’s shaky skies for all that. Just hop over to Malaysia!
Even satay makes an appearance in a Truly Asia ad. Sure, satay may be served across the region, but let’s face it: those Malaysians have a lot of nerve trying to assert that this delectable dish is best eaten beside the Petronas Towers. Who knows how many unsuspecting Swedes and Canadians are being fooled into thinking that the world’s best satay can be found in Kuala Lumpur. It’s a travesty..
It’s time for the minister and his team to strike back. If they want their second round of Visit Indonesia to be less of a failure than their first, then they’ve got to get serious. The competition is doing a world-class job advertising their unique cultural offerings, their jungles and beaches, and their cute and fuzzy fauna to discerning travelers. Indonesia must do the same.
So would someone please hook the minister up a with a good PR firm? I’m sure he would appreciate the help, and so would many future satay connoisseurs just waiting to taste the real thing.
Michael Boyce is a staff writer for the Jakarta Globe.
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