The opening of the Makassar International Eight Festival and Forum (F8 Makassar) has taken place, marking the start of a five-day event running until July 28. This event has successfully stimulated the economy and advanced Indonesian tourism. Restog Krisna Kisuma, Special Staff for Innovation and Creativity at the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, highlighted this in his speech at the F8 2024 Opening Ceremony at Tugu MNEK on the evening of Wednesday, July 24. He acknowledged that since its inception in 2016, F8 Makassar has consistently improved in quality each year. "Alhamdulillah, the F8 event, which has been held since 2016, has become increasingly lively. We can all see that F8 Makassar has become a hub for various events in Indonesia. Once again, F8 has demonstrated its quality by ranking in the top ten in 2024," he stated. Restog also expressed his appreciation to the Mayor of Makassar and all parties involved in advancing the creative economy in Makassar. He noted that F8 Makassar's quality is evidenced by its inclusion in the Top 10 National Tourism Events for the past five years.
According to Restog, F8 Makassar's quality has continually improved. He suggested that other cities and regencies outside South Sulawesi should emulate F8 Makassar's creativity in drivingeconomic growth. "F8 can serve as a smart brand example for every region, not just in South Sulawesi," he added. He emphasized the importance of events like F8 in Indonesia for driving economic activity, enhancing morale, and boosting the confidence of people across the country. "We hope that each event will drive economic growth and attract both international and domestic tourists," he said. Through the increasingly high-quality organization of F8, he hopes to encourage other cities to boost tourism, the creative economy, and SMEs to collaborate, synergize, create, and grow. Restog also conveyed apologies from the Minister and Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia for their inability to attend in person. With the spectacular success of F8, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia is confident that the event will continue to stimulate the economy and advance Indonesian tourism.
