Indonesia keen to collaborate with other nations, including India on World Heritage Projects

Ferdy Piay, the Charge d’ Affaires of Indonesia to India, has shown a keen interest in collaborating with other nations to promote heritage tourism. He also expressed that it is imperative for nations to come together and unite to share knowledge, experiences and practices to promote cultural heritage.

India, of course, has collaborated with Indonesia on such projects before and stays at the top of the list for such collaborations in the future as well. Previously, Indonesia and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) jointly promoted Indonesian temples, along with Taj Mahal. Mr Piay also expressed that the country is keen to join hands with India on such spheres. He also mentioned how Bali and other attractions such as the Borobudur Temple and Prambanan temple complex have benefitted by such initiatives by the Indonesian governments.
Speaking on the same, he also expressed that, "But of course, the effort does not stop there. The benefits of developing heritage sites, structures and buildings in areas have been acknowledged not just by the central government, but also by regional governments. However, promoting cultural heritage as an object of tourism should of course at the same time be compensated by a legal framework aimed at protecting the sites. Cultural heritage should not be abused in such a way that it will damage itself. Equally important, as tourism becomes a strong leverage to the economy, its development should therefore be sustainable.”

He also cited Bali's famous Kecak dance, which has become a huge lure for tourists now; on the other hand, Mr Piay expressed that countries may have their own different models for heritage tourism but the focus stays the same for promoting as well as conserving such rich heritages.