Building Indonesia’s Nation Branding Through Mandalika Circuit – OpEd

Indonesia is known as a country rich in natural resources. The abundance of natural resources comes from Indonesia’s geography which has a myriad of islands and mountains in various archipelagos in Indonesia so that Indonesia has a diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of almost more than 500 languages ​​with 264 million of its population (Augesti, 2019). Besides Indonesia known for its natural resources and spices, Indonesia is also known as a country that has its natural beauty. because Indonesia is an archipelagic country that has panoramic views of beaches, mountains, waterfalls, islands, and other natural beauty. That attracts domestic and foreign tourists to visit Indonesia. he islands in Indonesia are spread for almost more than 5,200 km between mainland Asia and Australia, and are located in the tropics because Indonesia is on the equator (Augesti, 2019). This is the reason why Indonesia has a wealth of natural resources.

Through its natural beauty, Indonesia has been named the most beautiful country in the world. reported by CNBC Indonesia, the title of the most beautiful country that was crowned to Indonesia. British site, money.co.uk. explained that the factors analyzed in the assessment of the most beautiful country in the world include the nature it has, including volcanoes, mountains, coral reefs, protected areas, coastlines, rainforests, and glaciers. Of the several assessment factors assessed that Indonesia was ranked as the first country with a score of 7.77/10, followed by New Zealand in second place with a score of 7.27/10, and the third country is Colombia with a score of 7.16/10 (CNBC Indonesia, 2022). Indonesia’s natural and cultural wealth provides an attraction for domestic and foreign tourists, areas in Indonesia that are famous and visited by many domestic and foreign tourists include Bali, Sumatra, Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Yogyakarta, East Nusa Tenggara, Toraja, and the Raja Ampat Islands (Kumparan Travel, 2018).

Currently, West Nusa Tenggara, Central Lombok district, precisely the Mandalika circuit, is a destination for foreign tourists because it is the area where the 2021 world superbike and 2022 MotoGP events will be held. the appointment of Mandalika as the host of the world superbike and MotoGP 2021, it is a revival of Indonesia’s name after 24 years of absence from prestigious racing events, where Indonesia had previously hosted the race, also precisely at the Sentul Circuit, West Java in 1997 (Kompas.com, 2022) . The circuit with the official name Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit has a circuit length of 4.3 kilometers or 4,310 meters with 17 bend points with 11 pointing to the right and 6 others leading to the left and able to accommodate up to hundreds of thousands of spectators (Kompas.com, 2021). The Mandalika Circuit also received three records from the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) in the category of asphalting using building information modeling (BIM) technology with the highest volume. Then, the construction of the first circuit according to the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) standard, and the third is the fastest circuit track (Amani, 2021). It makes the Mandalika circuit more in the spotlight of the world’s eyes by being equipped with sophisticated technology. 

Besides having asphalt with advanced technology, the Mandalika Circuit is also surrounded by very beautiful tourist destinations, including being surrounded by several beaches that have light blue water that soothes the eyes of the audience who are on the Mandalika circuit and surrounded by green hills, various praises from local residents and around the world have been given, including the Moto GP has mentioned that the Mandalika Circuit is the most beautiful circuit in the world (Garjito & Indriani, 2022). Therefore, with the construction of the Mandalika Circuit, this can become a national identity, especially Indonesia in introducing the country’s advantages through its natural beauty and social and cultural diversity that is owned by Indonesia, so that in the future it can have a positive impact on the Indonesian economy through the tourism sector.

*Ramadhan Dwi Saputra is a Research Assistant at Universitas islam Indonesia

References

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Augesti, A. (2019, April 4). Ini Alasan Indonesia Menduduki Posisi ke-6 Negara Terindah di Dunia. Liputan6.com. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.liputan6.com/global/read/3933426/ini-alasan-indonesia-menduduki-posisi-ke-6-negara-terindah-di-dunia

CNBC Indonesia. (2022, February 14). Kalahkan Selandia Baru, Indonesia Negara Terindah di Dunia. CNBC Indonesia. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/lifestyle/20220214133135-33-315209/kalahkan-selandia-baru-indonesia-negara-terindah-di-dunia

Garjito, D., & Indriani, R. M. D. (2022, February 13). MotoGP Takjub Saat Bagikan Foto Sirkuit Mandalika: Ini Sirkuit Terindah di Dunia. Suara.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.suara.com/news/2022/02/13/111149/motogp-takjub-saat-bagikan-foto-sirkuit-mandalika-ini-sirkuit-terindah-di-dunia?page=all

Kompas.com. (2021, November 15). Profil Sirkuit Mandalika, Lombok, Trek Balap untuk MotoGP 2022 Halaman all. Kompas.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2021/11/15/150000265/profil-sirkuit-mandalika-lombok-trek-balap-untuk-motogp-2022?page=all

Kompas.com. (2022, February 8). Kilas Balik MotoGP Indonesia 1997: Kejutan di Kelas Utama dan Rossi yang Tak Bisa Bersantai Halaman all. Kompas.com. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.kompas.com/sports/read/2022/02/08/13000008/kilas-balik-motogp-indonesia-1997-kejutan-di-kelas-utama-dan-rossi-yang?page=all

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