President reviews Labuan Bajo's culinary area before ASEAN Summit

Labuan Bajo, NTT (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited Kampung Ujung, a culinary tourism area in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, on Sunday evening.

The head of state arrived in Labuan Bajo on Sunday afternoon to review preparations for the 42nd ASEAN Summit that will take place on May 9-11, 2023.

The president walked along the area, chock-a-block with seafood stalls selling fish, shrimp, and shellfish, among others, while greeting the traders and giving aprons to them.

Jokowi’s visit was welcomed enthusiastically by the sellers, one of which was Nurhayati.

"He (the president) asked me how much for one serving of shrimp, and I answered '(it is) Rp100,000 (US$6.78),'" the seller stated, as quoted from the press release of the Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat.

Nurhayati also noted that their stall received more customers ahead of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.

"There are a lot of people. I am happy that the ASEAN Summit will be held here," the trader remarked.



Another trader, Apri, who sold fried rice, said he was grateful that their stall was increasingly being visited by tourists.

"Ahead of this summit, our sales continued to rise, and our stall kept getting busier since more visitors came here. I am very grateful for the implementation of this ASEAN Summit," the seller stated.

Earlier, after landing at Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo, on Sunday afternoon, President Jokowi said that implementation of the 42nd ASEAN Summit was a good momentum to promote Labuan Bajo, so the tourism destination would gain increasing popularity among members of the international community.

Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of collaboration and cooperation during Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship being held from January 1 to December 31, 2023.

“We expect ASEAN to be open to collaborate with any countries,” he stated.

Hence, the settlement of every issue in the ASEAN should adhere to the principle of dialogue, Jokowi affirmed.

“Having a dialogue is very crucial, especially regarding the issue of Myanmar,” he stated.