Surakarta, August 5th 2022 –
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy (MOTCE) educates the "International Wellness Tourism Conference and Festival (IWTCF) 2022" participants about the benefits of essential oils as an aromatherapy for mind relaxation and body wellness.
In an event initiated by the MOTCE, namely IWTCF 2022, participants gain knowledge and education about the benefits of essential oils in the "DIY (Do It Yourself) Experience of Indonesian Aromatherapy" workshop at Alila Surakarta Hotel, Central Java, Friday (5/8/2022).
This workshop was filled by speakers from Karimatarii which is an Indonesian aromatherapist group. Hanny Gunawan, a speaker in this workshop, explained that essential oils are oils extracted from parts of certain plants that produce aromas having various characteristics.
"Essential oils come from plants, some are from rhizomes such as ginger, turmeric, or curcuma oils. Some come from roots, bark and fruit, stems, leaves, flower petals, flower buds, shrubs, and seeds," according to Hanny.
Hanny said that this oil was produced by plants as a means of survival in nature, whether it is for self-protection or to reproduce through the pollination process. Therefore, this aroma is produced to attract insects to pollinate, repel insects that will disturb the plant, increase plant resistance or prevent the growth of nuisance plants.
"Since plants cannot move around like animals and humans, they produce oil which is then collected and extracted by humans. So, the oil is what we know as essential oils," she added.
On the same occasion, Arlin Chondro who is also a member of Karimatarii, said that essential oil not only have a distinctive and fragrant aroma, but also have health effects both physically and mentally. Such as relaxation, increasing focus, warming the nasal cavity, for massage, healing wounds, and also providing a sense of comfort.
"Aromatherapy can also be mixed and matched so that we can mix essential oils according to our taste. In addition, the price is relatively affordable and provides physical and psychological healing benefits," Arlin said.
He mentioned that essential oils can be used by inhalation of the vapors through a diffuser, inhaler, or tissue media and applied to skin. However, if we want to apply essential oils to the skin, these oils must be mixed with vegetable oils.
This pure essential oil is highly concentrated. It has tiny particles so that if applied to the skin without being mixed with mixed media such as vegetable oil, the oil will enter the skin pores and can enter the blood vessels and spread throughout the body. Therefore, in applying essential oils for infants and children must be with caution," he added.
In this workshop, participants were also invited to make a mixture of essential oils according to their individual needs. They were very enthusiastic in mixing various essential oils provided to mix the oils according to their needs.
According to the Deputy for Tourism Products and Events of the MOTCE, Rizki Handayani, essential oils are a crucial part of the wellness tourism development. Therefore, there needs to be education for the public regarding what essential oils are and their use to attract tourists.
Moreover, the IWTCF 2022 is the first wellness tourism event combining three concepts at once, namely a conference that presents more than 30 top speakers from the G20 member countries, ASEAN, including Indonesia, a workshop, and an exhibition.
"With this new breakthrough, I hope that later Indonesian wellness tourism can be a top of mind for domestic and foreign tourists," Rizki Handayani stated.
