Indonesian Consul in Tawau Holds Wonderful Indonesia Festival 2026 in Sabah

RRI.CO.ID, Tawau – The Indonesian Consulate in Tawau (KRI Tawau) held the Wonderful Indonesia Festival 2026 at the Tawau Community Hall, Sabah, Malaysia, on Saturday, August 8, 2026. It was as part of efforts to promote Indonesian culture, tourism, and leading products while strengthening people-to-people ties between Indonesia and Malaysia in the border region.

The event also marked the beginning of a series of activities commemorating the 81st Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia in the KRI Tawau working area. The festival featured various Indonesian cultural and artistic performances, including traditional dances, Indonesian traditional music, a batik fashion show featuring designs by Indonesian fashion designer Dian Pelangi, as well as the distribution of samples of leading Indonesian beauty products to invited guests.

Indonesian Consul in Tawau, Dino Nurwahyudin, said the Wonderful Indonesia Festival is part of the Indonesian government's efforts to introduce the country's potential to people around the world.

“Wonderful Indonesia is an annual program organized by the Indonesian Government to promote Indonesia’s natural beauty, culture, and products, including culinary products, to people around the world,” Dino said in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

He said the historical and geographical ties between Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly in the border region, need to be continuously strengthened through sustained communication and interaction. “Interaction among communities, businesses, academics, the media, and younger generations is a valuable investment in relations and cooperation between neighboring countries that share close ties,” he said.

In addition to cultural diplomacy, KRI Tawau used the festival as an opportunity to encourage businesses from Sabah to participate in Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2026, which will be held in Jakarta from October 14 to 18, 2026.

Malaysia was among the top five countries with the highest transaction values at TEI 2025. To increase participation from businesses in Sabah, KRI Tawau plans to hold a technical briefing forum for prospective participants in September 2026.

Economic cooperation is also supported by strong cross-border mobility and growing tourism between the two countries. In 2025, Malaysia was the largest source of foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia, recording 2.65 million visits, or around 17.2 percent of total international tourist arrivals. Meanwhile, the number of Indonesian citizens visiting Malaysia reached 2.70 million.

To improve connectivity in the border region, KRI Tawau is also continuing to promote the reactivation of direct flights between Tawau and Tarakan. The reactivation of the route is expected to reduce travel time from around four to five hours by sea to approximately 30–60 minutes by air.

KRI Tawau considers improved connectivity important not only for facilitating the movement of people but also for supporting tourism and economic growth in the border region. Through the Wonderful Indonesia Festival 2026, KRI Tawau reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cultural and economic diplomacy as instruments for enhancing bilateral relations between Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly in the border region.