Hotel Kurhaus, Scheveningen, The Hague February 2008

It was unimaginable what happened at Hotel Kurhaus, Scheveningen, The Hague, February 2008. Indonesian Ambassador to The Hague, Junus Effendi Habibie hosted a gala dinner to welcome the launch of Visit Indonesia Year 2008 tourism campaign. The campaign was to coincide with Indonesia’s commemoration of 100 years of National Awakening. More than 150,000 Dutch tourists visited Indonesia in 2006 and they stayed in for an average of three weeks based on latest statistics. The Netherlands is Indonesia’s largest tourism market in Europe. Indonesia and the Netherlands have historic and emotional bond and the two countries have very special bilateral relations. More than 200 guests, Dutch officials, tour operators and friends of Indonesia in the Netherlands, attended the dinner. Why did Ambassador Habibie pick Hotel Kurhaus? For sentimental and historic reasons he wanted to remember the hotel where representatives of the Indonesian government to Konperensi Meja Bundar (the round table conference) stayed during negotiations with the Dutch in 1949. He thought the setting would match the theme of the campaign. The Indonesian Director General of Tourism Marketing Thamrin B. Bachri and Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union Nadjib Riphat Kesoema were also present. The cultural dances of Bali, West Java, Betawi and Aceh performed by the Indonesian community in the Netherlands caught much attention, the music ensemble performed by Indonesian students was fine and the guests were enthusiastic. But alas! The food is European! For the Dutch guests it was a surprise. They expected Indonesian culinary delights! I have known Ambassador Habibie since the old days and when he was ambassador to the Court of St James. But sorry His Excellency, I think, once again, the tourism campaign is a flop. Mr. Thamrin Bachrie, you have not done well! Enough of this historical and emotional nonsense! Get back to the real business!