Playing the culture card strong, Indonesia has declared batik as the “official clothing” of the much-anticipated annual IMF-World Bank meeting to take place in Bali this October.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance made the “dress code” announcement on Wednesday, eliciting thoughts of a high school prom.
“Batik will be the official dress code,” the ministry’s chief organizational transformation officer, Adi Budiarso said in Jakarta, as quoted by Liputan6.
A UNESCO-designated cultural heritage, Indonesian batik is a traditional textile using wax-resist dyeing methods and originates from Java.
The batik worn at the meeting, however, is open and can be any style, says Budiarso.
“Not just Javanese style batik, because there is batik and weaving,” he said.
So, apparently Thanos and Avengers batik is fair game?
Other than its ethnic textiles, Indonesia will showcase its culture via food at the meeting.
“We will also feature Indonesian specialities,” Budiarso said.
Surely, some of the most famous Indonesian dishes like nasi goreng, satay, bakso, and rendang will be on the menu.
Running from Oct. 8 to 14, the IMF-World Bank is expected to bring upwards of 15,000 delegates from 189 countries to Bali.
Planning for the meeting has been a HUGE deal in Bali, where the provincial government has rapidly sped up pricey urban development projects like an underpass in front of the airport and a massive sculpture, taller than the Statue of Liberty that’s been 30 years in the making.
So much has been invested in this meeting that even an erupting volcano and series of deadly earthquakes in the past year have not been enough to call for a location change.
With all the delegates in town for the meeting, Bali’s hotel occupancy rate is expected to rocket up by 95 percent, according to chairman of the Bali Hotel Association, Ricky Darmika Putra.
Because the delegates will also make a vacation out of the trip and won’t just stick to business activities, says Putra.
“Occupancy is estimated at around 90 to 95 percent. This will be predominantly in the Nusa Dua, Sawangan, Jimbaran, and Uluwatu areas, around South Badung,” he said on Thursday, as quoted by Liputan6.
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