The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf), Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, praised the successful organization of the 2023 Crossborder Skouw Festival, which took place on July 6, 2023. The attendees 1000-1500 are coming from both Papua and Papua New Guinea, at the event that centered around the National Crossborder Post (PLBN) RI-PNG in Skouw, Muara Tami District, Jayapura City, Papua. “I thank everyone involved. This is the third Crossborder Skouw Festival, and it forms part of our efforts to strengthen brotherhood, boost the economy, and achieve our collective goal of recovering from the pandemic,” said Menparekraf Sandiaga. He also mentioned that this event is a direct implementation of President Joko Widodo’s directive to host events across Indonesia to ensure economic equality for all citizens.

For the third time, the Crossborder Skouw Festival was held at the easternmost gateway of Indonesia. The Festival is part of the effort to achieve the target of 8.5 million foreign tourists and 1.4 billion domestic tourist movements this year. It aims to enhance the working relationship and friendship between Indonesia and neighboring Papua New Guinea. The festival was initiated by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, in collaboration with BNPP, PLBN, the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in Vanimo, TNI, POLRI, Jayapura City Tourism Office, local government, private sector, the running community “Lelarian Sana Sini”, and local MSMEs in Papua.

The Crossborder Skouw Festival is a fun festival encompassing various exciting activities like music, sports, and MSMEs, featuring performances from local Papua musicians such as Epo D’Fenomeno, MAC, Dave Solution, and Blager. Additionally, there were performances from SMAN 2 Jayapura’s marching band and the modern dance group Freedom Squad, which got festival goers dancing. In total, about 100 local workers (60 construction workers and 40 cleaners), as well as 110 artists and event supporters (66 musicians, 45 marching band crew members, and 10 dance crew members) were involved in the event.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf) Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno attended the festival and participated in a 5 km fun run, with a route crossing two countries (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). The run, which also featured members of the TNI/POLRI and the “Lelarian Sana Sini” community, marked the close of the festival.

Thirty-two booths of local MSMEs across various sectors such as F&B, fashion, and souvenirs added vibrancy to the festival. There was also a coffee exhibition in collaboration with local coffee shops and baristas. Not only were visitors able to sample the coffee, but they could also buy it, either ready to drink or as beans. The average transaction at F&B stands was recorded at around IDR 25-50 thousand.

In his speech, Menparekraf Sandiaga said he hoped the festival could be held annually in various border areas of Indonesia. This would offer a multiplier effect on employment, provide local communities with opportunities to get involved, promote local wisdom, and recognize and appreciate local cultural heritage, thereby enhancing pride in and identification with Wonderful Indonesia.

On the day of the Crossborder Skouw Festival 2023, the economic turnover nearly reached IDR 3 billion, and the economic transaction volume for the day was close to IDR 200 million. This data indicates a significant boost to the economy, particularly benefiting local MSMEs and creating job opportunities. Furthermore, the creative economy sector is now one of the largest contributors to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), at 7.35%. The 2021/2022 Tourism and Creative Economy Outlook shows that the three largest contributing sub-sectors to GDP and exports are culinary (39%), fashion (17%), and craft (14.9%).

Stay tuned for the latest updates from the “Crossborder Skouw Festival” on the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s YouTube account, and Instagram @kemenparekraf.ri.