AMID the ever-changing challenges of the global tourism industry, I Ketut Ardana stands out as one of the key figures behind the birth of Indonesia’s largest tourism promotion event — the Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF).
As both the initiator and one of its main founders, Ardana recognized the need for a platform that could connect Indonesia’s tourism players with potential buyers from around the world.
The idea stemmed from his decades of experience traveling the globe and engaging directly with international tourism professionals. Ardana realized that Bali — with its unmatched charm, infrastructure, and global appeal — had the potential to become the nation’s tourism hub for promotion and trade. From this vision, BBTF was born: a business-to-business (B2B) forum that brings together “sellers” from across Indonesia and “buyers” from various international markets.
Since its inception in 2014, BBTF has grown into a prestigious event that captures the attention of the global tourism community. Through his leadership at ASITA Bali, Ardana worked to ensure that BBTF was not just another exhibition, but a symbol of Indonesia’s tourism resurgence on the world stage.
Driven by the passion and dedication of visionaries like Ardana, BBTF has become one of Southeast Asia’s premier tourism events. Each year, hundreds of buyers and sellers gather in Bali to explore collaborations and promote Indonesia’s top destinations — from Bali to Labuan Bajo, Yogyakarta to Raja Ampat.
For Ardana, BBTF is more than a business event — it is a mission of pride: to position Bali as the gateway to Indonesia’s beauty. “Bali must be the showcase of the archipelago’s tourism,” he often emphasizes.
Now, more than a decade later, BBTF continues to grow and gain international recognition. Behind its success lies the hard work, forward vision, and dedication of I Ketut Ardana, a man who firmly believes that from Bali, Indonesia’s tourism can shine brightly on the world stage. **
Writer: Karolina | Editor: Igo Kleden
