Timor-Leste (East Timor): Proposed Tourism Campaign

Cristo Rei of Dili statue on Cape Fatucama, Timor-Leste

In the summer of 2013, my family and I visited Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor) to tour around the country. The country, whose long journey to independence was marked by tragic events, was peaceful and delightful, with a striking mountainous interior, stunning coastline, amazingly fresh seafood, and warm people. While dining at a restaurant in the capital of Dili, we were introduced to Jose Ramos-Horta who happened to be dining there at the same time as us. He is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a former and current president of the country as well as a former prime minister and foreign minister of Timor-Leste and a founder of the resistance movement, Fretilin. When he found out we were tourists, he was surprised as he didn’t know that tourists made it to his country. This was 2013 and we were one of the first. We told him how much we loved our visit to Timor-Leste. He was a very charming man.

Santa Cruz Massacre Memorial Monument, Dili

When we returned to our home in Singapore, my daughter and I created a tourism campaign for Timor-Leste with the tagline, “Being first has its rewards.” My daughter also created the beautiful logo that goes with the advertising campaign. We shared it with Jose Ramos-Horta.