JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Joop Ave, former minister for tourism, post and telecommunication, also icon of the country’s tourism, had passed away Wednesday (Feb 5) due to complicated illness.
He was treated at Mount Elisabeth hospital in Singapore, and his corpse will be carried to Indonesia today. Joop Ave, born in Yogyakarta on December 5, 1934 also served as the government’s protocol for 20 years.
Joop initiated the Nusa Dua project as tourism destination, actively introduced traditional batik to international community, and created the standard of hospitality.
Appreciated to many efforts and initiatives Joop Ave had done for the country’s tourism sector, Mari Elka Pangestu, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, then named Joop Ave as the father of Indonesian Tourism.