August is one of the most important months for Indonesia, as it coincides with Indonesia's Independence Day. Not only the 78th Indonesian Independence Day, there are many celebrations or important days in August that people need to learn about. It's possible that Sobat Parekraf also haven’t realized it.

Several important celebrations in August can be used as an impetus to revive Indonesia's tourism sector and the creative economy because celebrations or important days in August can introduce Indonesia's natural wealth and cultural diversity.

Here is a list of celebrations or important days in August that are interesting to know about:

ASEAN Anniversary

August 8th is the anniversary of ASEAN. This year marks the 56th anniversary of ASEAN and coincides with Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN, with the theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicenter of Growth." ASEAN countries will likely play an important and relevant role in the region and the world.

Numerous agreements arise from various meetings of ASEAN leaders held in Indonesia. For example, the 42nd Summit in Labuan Bajo resulted in the Visit Year IMT-GT program, a cooperation between three ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, which addresses halal tourism in all three countries.

Recently, an agreement was reached on cross-border payments using the QRIS method. It is hoped that this ease of transaction can encourage tourist attractions in the ASEAN region, so that creative economic products in the ASEAN region are easy to obtain.

International Day of the World's Indigenous People

The United Nations (UN) has designated August 9 as the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. The reason for establishing this great day was to honor the customs and traditions that have been hereditary in the world.

Customs cannot be separated from the diversity of tribes and cultures. The celebration of this day in Indonesia is very important. There are more than 350 tribes in Indonesia that are spread over different islands. Each tribe has traditional ceremonies, houses, musical instruments, clothes, crafts, and dances. This diversity is the attraction of tourism and the creative industries in Indonesia.

We can see the diversity from the various events and festivals in the Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) 2023. The 110 events in KEN 2023 are expected to attract domestic and foreign tourists so that the world increasingly recognizes the diversity of Indonesian customs.

Photo: Illustration of World Elephant Day which is celebrated every August 12 (Shutterstock/Arif Yoga Pratama)

World Elephant Day

Another important celebration in August is World Elephant Day, which is celebrated every August 12. This celebration is dedicated to supporting the preservation and protection of elephants in a world that is increasingly under threat.

The largest population of elephants in Indonesia is found on the island of Sumatra. Way Kambas National Park in Lampung is one of the breeding grounds for the endemic Sumatran elephant (Elephas Maximus Sumatranus). As its natural habitat, the national park is often visited by local and foreign tourists to observe elephants directly in their habitat.

National Scout Day

National Scout Day is celebrated on August 14. This celebration is very important because scouts are guided by Dasa Darma, whose second principle teaches us to love nature and protect the environment. 

As we know, Indonesia possesses rich natural wealth, which has become one of the attractions for the tourism sector. This is consistent with implementing sustainable tourism in Indonesia. A concept of traveling with a long-term impact, both on the environment, social, cultural, and economic for now and the future.

Photography Day

Another important day in August is related to Indonesia's creative economy sub-sector, photography. World Photography Day is celebrated every year on August 19. This celebration can also be a moment to improve the photography sub-sector in Indonesia.

According to the data in Outlook 2021/2022, the growth rate of the photography sub-sector is estimated to reach 6.32% in 2021. The number of workers in the photography sub-sector will reach 87,305 and contribute to the GDP of IDR 7.6 trillion. Photography plays an important role in the creative industry sector and supports Indonesia's tourism sector. 

In this digital era, visual images play an important role in attracting the attention of tourists. It means that the photos of the natural beauty of Indonesia taken by the best photographers in Indonesia will help promote Indonesian tourism globally.

Cover: Illustration of ASEAN's 56th Anniversary (Shutterstock/A-ran)