GWK Gets Ready for the G20 Summit Welcoming Dinner
PRESS RELEASE NO. 55/SP/TKMG20/11/2022
G20 COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA TEAM
Marves -Nusa Dua, November 13, 2022– Visitors were seen walking around the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park area on Friday (Nov. 11), one week before the G20 Summit. Several buses were lined up across Jendela Bali restaurant with security personnel guarding the location. Security was even stricter at the area’s entry of the G20 welcoming dinner, to be held on November 15, 2022.
GWK Cultural Park is one of the top destinations in Bali. President Joko Widodo and heads of delegates will attend a welcoming dinner at the Lotus Pond area of GWK as part of the G20 Summit activities.
Stefanus Yonathan Astayasa, GWK Operations Director, said that GWK is ready to welcome the visit.
“We have started to make improvements to the venues and access. Our priority is the access since there must be no queue line for G20. We have prepared appropriateness, beauty, and neatness to make this welcoming dinner perfect,” he said to the G20 Communications and Media Team last weekend.
He said that the work on the access that will be used by the G20 heads of state had been carried out since June. “We have created some new accesses, and it took time,” he explained.
Aside from GWK, there were several other destinations proposed to President Joko Widodo to select. Eventually, the cultural park was selected as it offers uniqueness and a strong character.
Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park was designed by Nyoman Nuarta in the 1980s. It took quite a long time before the idea was accepted by the community because it was considered to be a waste of money at first. The project could only be started in 1997. President Joko Widodo inaugurated the 60-hectare cultural park on September 22, 2018.
The destination specialty is the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue which towers over 120 meters high. The statue is a timeless icon of civilization. It was made of copper, steel, and brass which depicts the Hindu god Vishnu on his mount, the Garuda bird.
There is an ornament made of thousands of pieces of gold mosaic glass on the shoulder of Vishnu. A decoration called badong (necklace) was also glued to the crown and chest of the statue.
“As an icon that Bali and Indonesia are proud of, we are happy to be chosen because many delegates are curious about this destination,” Stefanus said.
Lotus Pond
As the dinner venue, Lotus Pond is the largest landmark in GWK that also serves as the main square. The outdoor area can accommodate up to 7,500 people.
The wide courtyard is very majestic with limestone cliffs lined up on either side. The view is also captivating with the Garuda statue at one end of the limestone cliffs.
There is Tirta Agung (holy water) in the main door of Lotus Pond. Visitors can also find a carved stone wall (relief) there containing the story of Garuda Wisnu Kencana’s life to become mount of Vishnu whom Hindus believe to be the guardian deity of the universe.
Lotus symbolizes beauty, prosperity, and fertility. It is always carried in the hands of Vishnu. Although its roots are in the mud, it blooms into a beautiful flower on the surface, becoming the symbol of humanity and the cosmos.
“There are around 300-400 people planned to attend the banquet at Lotus Pond. The rest G20 participants who do not take part in the welcoming dinner at Lotus Pond can have their dinner at Jendela Bali restaurant,” Stefanus said.
Stefanus is also optimistic that the G20 event will have a positive impact and increase tourist visits to GWK in the long term. Moreover, the GWK administrator is continuing to make improvements.
“From inside the GWK statue, tourists are now spoiled with different experiences, starting from the ground floor to the 23rd floor. The goal is for GWK to give a memorable impression for tourists,” he said.
GWK is closed for tourist visits for four days during the G20 Summit, starting from November 12 to November 15, 2022. For those four days, GWK gives days off to several of its employees.
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