Indonesian Ambassador to Maldives Dewi Gustina Tobing encourages Maldivian businesses to visit and participate in the Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), scheduled to start in October.
The hybrid model Trade Expo, with the theme “Strengthening Global, Trade for Stronger Recovery,” will be held both online and offline.
TEI officially starts on October 19, and will be held in the Indonesia Convention until October 23. The expo will continue online on their website www.tradexpoindonesia.com until 19 December this year.
In an exclusive interview given to The Edition, the Ambassador noted the areas of cooperation between Maldives and Indonesia, as well as upcoming trade expo.
“In a way, this is a good opportunity for the private sector of Maldives to explore Indonesian products,” Tobing said.
According to the ambassador, as registration for the event is not yet complete, the exact number of exhibitors is still unclear. However, the expo appears to be regaining popularity after a dip in both visitors and exhibitors following the pandemic. In 2020, the had a total of 690 exhibitors, while they had 834 exhibitors last year. Comparably, TEI boasted 1,500 exhibitors in 2019.
“I really would like to encourage Maldivians to visit this important exhibition.” Tobing said.
The expo features seven major zones; manufacture; healthcare and beauty; furniture and home deco; food and beverages; fashion and accessories; medical equipment; and digital services. These are further broken down into subcategories that present more specific products and services as well.
One area that may be of interest to Maldivian businesses and investors, Tobing said, was their food and beverages zone. As Indonesia is the country with the most number of Muslims in the world, with 90 percent of their 270 million population being Muslim, the country has a strong market of products featuring halal food.
She predicted that construction, healthcare, and furniture products would appeal to Maldivian markets as well.
Even though the expo is now conducted in hybrid format, she still encourages Maldivians to visit the expo as she believes an in-person visit would be more advantageous than an online visit. An in-person visit would allow for a deeper understanding of the exhibitors, products showcased, and to network easier as well, she said.
Tobing said interested Maldivian businesses could contact the embassy to arrange for their stay during the visit. They have coordinated with hotels near the exhibition, and easy transport will be facilitated via shuttles as well.
“The most important thing I would like to know what is the enquiries of Maldivians even though they are not in the exhibition, the embassy could connect them while they visit Indonesia.”
According to data provided by the embassy, the most number of visitors to TEI was from India last year, with a total of 669 visitors. While China followed second with 145 visitors, they had spent the most at the expo with USD 1.78 billion.
The on arrival VISA available to both Indonesia and Maldives for their respective citizens would allow for easy visitation. According to World Health Organisation, 62 percent of their population is fully vaccinated. Tobing noted that they have rolled out booster shots, and fourth doses of the vaccine as well.
In addition to various exhibitors and products, the expo showcases comprehensive supporting programs such as trade forums, international seminars, business matching to gain deeper insight into the global trade and outlooks.
During her third visit to Maldives since she was appointed Ambassador, she had met with various ministry officials as well as personnel from the private sector as well. Tobing said they had discussed a variety of areas in which the relationship between Maldives can be improved, such as education and trade, as well areas of human resources, noting that over 2,800 Indonesians worked in various fields in Maldives.
Diplomatic relations between Maldives and Indonesia was established in 1974.
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