Indonesia Awarded Best Country in The World to Visit

Bromo Image by Sapto Cahyono on Pixabay
East Java’s Mount Bromo. Image by Sapto Cahyono on Pixabay

Indonesia takes #1 spot for the best country in the world to visit in the latest Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for 2019.

Condé Nast is headquartered in New York and London and they are arguably one of the most influential media companies for the tourism industry on the planet. Operating in 31-markets around the world, they produce Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired and Architectural Digest among others.

To say they have their finger on the pulse of the travel industry might be somewhat of an understatement.

Labuan Bajo Image by Firman MPH on Pixabay
Labuan Bajo. Image by Firman MPH on Pixabay

According to their website, Condé Nast produce monthly video content that generates more than 1-billion views; they reach 84-million consumers in print, 366-million in digital and 384-million across social platforms. Some serious numbers indeed.

More than half a million people surveyed

And one reason their Readers’ Choice Awards are taken so seriously by the travel industry is because of these numbers and the number of people taking part in the survey.

This year, Condé Nast Traveler claim some 600,000 registered voters took part in the survey via desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet. And because so many people engage, results are often seen to forecast travel trends.

Central Java's Borobudur Temple. Image by Geoffery iGV on Pixabay
Central Java’s Borobudur Temple. Image by Geoffery iGV on Pixabay

How does it work?

The types of questions asked in the survey are divided into different categories, but regardless of the grouping, a ‘candidate’ (a hotel, resort, restaurant, city, spa, island, train, airline, airport, and cruise line in the world) must receive a required minimum number of responses and a minimum overall rating to be eligible for a Readers’ Choice Award.

They claim candidates are judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category, based on a standard five-point scale converted to a percentage: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor.

Kuta sunset Image by Adnandros on Pixabay
Kuta sunset. Image by Adnandros on Pixabay

The average of these ratings determines the final score based on four decimal points, with two decimal points being published. For example, the sore of 98.50 for Halekulani, Honolulu, No. 1 hotel in Hawaii, represents the average of ratings the hotel received from respondents for all relevant criteria: rooms, service, food, design, location, activities/facilities, and value.

Whether you’re a fan of awards or not the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards are widely recognized as being the tourism industry’s benchmark.

And this year Indonesia takes #1 as the top country to visit for 2019.

2019 Readers’ Choice Awards – Results

These are Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards Top 20 Countries for 20198 with their respective scores based on survey results from 600,000 registered voters.

  1. Indonesia 92.78 (last year #15)

  2. Thailand 92.37 (last year #3)

  3. Portugal 91.94 (last year #18)

  4. Sri Lanka 91.79 (last year #19)

  5. South Africa 91.59 (last year #5)

  6. Peru 91.28

  7. Greece 91.18 (last year #2)

  8. Philippines 90.63

  9. Italy 90.62 (last year #1)

  10. Vietnam 90.46 (last year #13)

  11. Turkey 90.15

  12. Japan 89.74 (last year #12)

  13. Mexico 89.7 (last year #16)

  14. Tanzania 89.62

  15. Israel 89.54

  16. Colombia 89.41

  17. New Zealand 89.11 (last year #10)

  18. Ireland 89.08 (last year #17)

  19. Cambodia 89.03

  20. Croatia 88.83

Peru, The Philippines, Turkey, Tanzania, Israel, Colombia, Cambodia and Croatia all made an appearance in the Top 20 from relative obscurity last year. Interestingly, Australia (last year #4), France (last year #6), USA (last year #7), Spain (last year #8) and India (last year #9) all failed to make it into this year’s Top 20.

You can find the complete list of Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for 2019 here.

Sources: Condé Nast Traveler, Hotel Online, PRNewsWire, Kompas

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Andrzej Barski

Director of Seven Stones Indonesia

Andrzej is Co-owner/ Founder and Director of Seven Stones Indonesia. He was born in the UK to Polish parents and has been living in Indonesia for more than 33-years. He is a skilled writer, trainer and marketer with a deep understanding of Indonesia and its many cultures after spending many years travelling across the archipelago from North Sumatra to Irian Jaya.

His experience covers Marketing, Branding, Advertising, Publishing, Real Estate and Training for 5-Star Hotels and Resorts in Bali and Jakarta, which has given him a passion for the customer experience. He’s a published author and a regular contributor to local and regional publications. His interests include conservation, eco-conscious initiatives, spirituality and motorcycles. Andrzej speaks English and Indonesian.

Terje H. Nilsen

Director of Seven Stones Indonesia

Terje is from Norway and has been living in Indonesia for over 20-years. He first came to Indonesia as a child and after earning his degree in Business Administration from the University of Agder in Norway, he moved to Indonesia in 1993, where he has worked in leading positions in education and the fitness/ wellness industries all over Indonesia including Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Medan and Bali.

He was Co-owner and CEO of the Paradise Property Group for 10-years and led the company to great success. He is now Co-owner/ Founder and Director of Seven Stones Indonesia offering market entry services for foreign investors, legal advice, sourcing of investments and in particular real estate investments. He has a soft spot for eco-friendly and socially sustainable projects and investments, while his personal business strengths are in property law, tourism trends, macroeconomics, Indonesian government and regulations. His personal interests are in sport, adventure, history and spiritual experiences.

Terje’s leadership, drive and knowledge are recognised across many industries and his unrivalled network of high level contacts in government and business spans the globe. He believes you do good and do well but always in that order. Terje speaks English, Indonesian and Norwegian.

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Ridwan Jasin Zachrie

CFO of Seven Stones Indonesia, Jakarta

Ridwan is one of Indonesia’s top executives with a long and illustrious career in the financial world. He holds several professional certifications including being a Certified Business Valuer (CBV) issued by the Australian Academy of Finance and Management; Broker-Dealer Representative (WPPE); and The Directorship Certification for Directors and Commissioners, issued by the Indonesian Institute of Commissioners and Directors.

His experience includes being the Managing Director at one of the top investment banking groups in the region, the Recapital Group, the CFO at State-owned enterprises in fishery industry and the CEO at Tanri Abeng & Son Holding. He’s also been an Independent Commissioner in several Financial Service companies and on the Audit and Risk Committee at Bank BTPN Tbk, Berau Coal Energy Tbk, Aetra Air Jakarta as well as working for Citibank, Bank Mandiri and HSBC. His last position was as CFO at PT Citra Putra Mandiri – OSO Group.

Ridwan has won a number of prestigious awards including the Best CFO Awards 2019 (Institute of Certified Management Accountant Australia-Indonesia); Asia Pacific Young Business Leader awarded by Asia 21 Network New York USA (Tokyo 2008); UK Alumni Business Awards 2008 awarded by the British Council; and The Most Inspiring Human Resources Practitioners’ version of Human Capital Magazine 2010.

He’s a member of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Law, Trisakti University, Co-Founder of the Paramadina Public Policy Institute and actively writes books, publications and articles in the mass media. He co-authored “Korupsi Mengorupsi Indonesia” in 2009, which helps those with an interest in understanding governance in Indonesia and the critical issue of corruption. Ridwan speaks Indonesian and English.

Per Fredrik Ecker

Managing Director of Seven Stones Indonesia, Jakarta

Per is the Managing Director of the Seven Stones Indonesia (SSI) Jakarta office and has more than 25-years’ experience in Indonesia, China, and Western Europe. He previously worked in senior management positions with Q-Free ASA, Siemens AG, and other companies in the telecom sector. Over the last six years, he has been the Chairman of the Indonesia-Norway Business Council (INBC) and recently become elected to be on the board of EuroCham Indonesia.

His most recent experience is within Intelligent Transport Solutions (ITS), Telecom, and other sectors within the Indonesian market. He is today through his position in SSI and by representing Norway Connect, promoting Nordic and European companies that would like to explore business opportunities in the Indonesian market. He’s also playing an active role to help create the Nordic House concept in Jakarta that will provide an excellent platform for Nordic companies entering Indonesia, where they’ll find a community that can offer support with trusted information and affordable services to enter this market.