Jakarta, June 1 (Antara) -- The tourist resort of Bintan district, Riau
Islands, is offering a new, exciting beach and shopping destinations,
following the official inauguration of Lagoi Bay and Plaza Lagoi Mall by
Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Sunday.
Indonesian
Vice President Jusuf Kalla officially opened the sparkling new
destinations on Sunday at Bintan Resorts, located along the northern
coast of the beautiful Bintan Island.
Speaking
at the event, Gianto Gunara of Gallant Venture and executive director
of Bintan Resorts said: "The opening of the Lagoi Bay and Plaza Lagoi
Mall mega projects is a major milestone for the development of Bintan
Resorts and tourism in KEPRI (the Riau Islands province)."
Bintan
Resorts is a major international gateway into Indonesia, Gunara added,
and is expected to play an increasing role in Indonesia's tourism
development to achieve the goal of drawing in 20 million tourists
nationwide by 2019.
Inaugurating the tourism facilities, the vice president also expressed
optimism that Bintan will contribute to the country's target to attract
20 million foreign tourists by 2019.
Bintan, located in proximity to Singapore and comprising nearly three
thousand beautiful isles in Riau Islands province, is being developed
into one of the country's tourist resort destinations.
"The government will support and provide facilities needed to develop
Bintan as a tourist resort because the country has set itself a target
of attracting 20 million foreign tourists annually by 2020," Kalla said.
Bintan, which is located close to Malaysia's Johor Bahru as well, has
the potential to be developed into a popular tourist destination similar
to Bali and other tourist resort destinations in the country.
The
inauguration of Lagoi Bay and Plaza Lagoi Mall is part of efforts to
increase tourism facilities in Bintan to attract more tourists.
Lagoi
Bay and Plaza Lagoi Mall are located right by the beach so tourists can
shop in the mall and then dive straight into the sea, or chat with
friends while enjoying a cold drink and snacks on the veranda, watching
the sun set slowly over the South China Sea.
The anchor tenant at the mall is Pasaraya, a popular mall in Jakarta
best known for its fine and wide array of Indonesian handicrafts,
fashion, and genuine Indonesian cuisine from across the archipelago.
Lagoi Bay and Plaza Lagoi Mall are expected to be filled with activities and become the new 'heart' of Bintan Resorts.
In addition, the luxurious Sanchaya Beach Resort and the Swiss-Belhotel
Grand Lagoi were also officially opened at the same time.
The
new tourism facilities are also expected to bring in more revenue for
the local government and enhance employment opportunities.
According to Kalla, the newly built tourism facilities could boost the
economic growth of the local people due to the presence of
infrastructure development, which could provide them more jobs.
After all, about 65 percent of Bintan's original income is contributed
by the Lagoi tourism area, according to Vice President Director of PT
Bintan Resort Cakrawal Frans Gunara.
"The Lagoi tourism area employs some 18 thousand workers and
contributes 65 percent to the original income of Bintan district,"
Gunara pointed out after the inauguration of Lagoi Bay and Plaza Lagoi
Mall by the vice president.
He added that the development of tourism in Lagoi Bay was a new
breakthrough and that it could help the country achieve its target of 20
million tourist arrivals by 2019.
"Lagoi Bay is one of Bintan Lagoon's mega projects," Gunara noted.
Built using modern contemporary design with Indonesian architectural
touches, Plaza Lagoi Mall is spread over nearly 1,000 square meters of
retail space, offering 60 shop units on two floors with a generous plaza
for people to meet and chat.
Here, visitors can also find tourism-related information and a tour
booking center, a baggage drop-off facility for those leaving by ferry
to Singapore, as well as shower and changing facilities for those
heading for the pristine beaches a few steps from the mall.
Other soon-to-open projects include the spectacular Crystal Lagoon at
Treasure Bay, a crystal clear 6-hectare sea water lake that will be the
first and largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Among the
hotels that will be constructed soon are the Prime Plaza, the Ibis
Style, Novote, Dialoog, Four Points managed by Sheraton, and the Ambhara
Hotel. To be built around Lagoi Bay, these will add another 4,000 new
hotel rooms to the area within the next 4 years.
Furthermore, the completion of the nearby modern airport with its
3,000-meter-long runway that will be able to receive the latest
wide-bodied aircraft, is expected to boost arrivals to Bintan and become
a hub for Indonesia's multiple wondrous tourist destinations.
In 2014, Bintan Rresorts hosted 478,457 international and domestic
tourists, recording a growth of 4.6 percent over that in 2013. The top
growing markets are China (about 40 percent), Indonesia (about 12
percent) and India (about 9 percent).
According to Kalla, Riau Islands has exceptional natural beauty that
should be preserved and developed in the interest of the nation.
The
vice president emphasized that operators should meet the various
requirements, such as good infrastructure, hospitality, and security
facilities, to attract more tourists.
Bintan Resorts and Bintan Industrial Estate were established in 1990 as
a result of a G to G agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and
the Republic of Singapore.
To date, the estate has more than
100 kilometers of roads, power plants with a capacity of 45 megawatts, a
reservoir, potable water facilities meeting WHO standards, an
international ferry terminal for goods and passengers,
telecommunications network, waste management system and an elaborate
security network.
It has a total of 1,600 luxurious hotel rooms
and three beautifully designed golf courses, a press release on
Bintan-resorts.com said on Monday.
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(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 01-06-2015 23:19: |
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