Jakarta (ANTARA) - The 2022 G20 Summit in Bali province showcased the best aspects of Indonesia’s natural beauty, natural resources, hospitality, and human resources, according to Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno.
“(United States) President Joe Biden said to me before he boarded Air Force One that he lauded Indonesia's (G20) leadership," he said during a joint working meeting with Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday.
World leaders did not only praise Indonesia highly over the adoption of the Bali Leaders’ Declaration, but also President Joko Widodo’s leadership as the chair of the 2022 G20 presidency, he added.
Hence, he said he felt immense pride and gratitude over Indonesia being considered a great nation. He thanked the Indonesian people and Commission X of the DPR for supporting the G20 events and wishing the government success.
"Still, we want to apologize if there were disrupted community activities during the implementation of the G20 events—the traffic might have been bothersome or the flights might have been delayed. It was because we wanted to give our best," the minister remarked.
Furthermore, he noted the huge impact of the G20 events on the promotion of the local tourism and creative economy sectors. For instance, the meeting between British Prime Minister (PM) Rishi Sunak and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at Art Cafe Bumbu Bali, Nusa Dua, Badung district, Bali province, on November 14, 2022, drew international attention to Balinese satay and chili sauce -- called sambal matah . "Now, the Bumbu Bali restaurant has become a special destination," Uno pointed out.
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In addition, the G20 events also brought fame to a number of Indonesian creative economy products, such as the Balinese traditional woven endek cloth, which was worn by world leaders during the G20 Summit Gala Dinner.
"I cannot imagine the value obtained from the promotion of endek cloth -- maybe we will calculate it later. The use of the cloth by the country's leaders was a very meaningful promotion," the minister added. Indonesia hosted the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15–16, 2022.