Jakarta, March 29 (Antara) - Indonesia's province of Aceh in the western tip of Sumatra island will organize an international 'Sail Sabang 2017' event in the Sabang Bay later this year to promote its tourism and attract domestic and international tourists.
The central government seems to be serious in supporting the Sabang sailing festival. Hence, it held a coordination meeting to discuss the sailing event on Wednesday (March 29).
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan urged that preparations should be done earlier so that the launching and implementation of the program would run smoothly, professionally, and successfully.
"We discussed technical matters and division of responsibilities at the cross-ministerial meeting, because we wanted all the preparations for Sail Sabang to be made well," Luhut noted.
The minister remarked that Indonesia had a lot of tourism potential that could be offered to tourists visiting the westernmost region.
According to the website www.sabangkota.go.id of the regional government of Sabang City, the sailing festival will include a number of attractions such as a yacht rally, seminar, international aerobatic show, visit by international cruise ships, Nusantara Youth ship, work parachute championship, international diving competition, Aceh cultural week, Sabang sail carnival, and a sci-tech exhibition held to observe 20 years of Sabang's sci-tech Jamboree.
Luhut noted that Sabang's infrastructure, notably its port, enables ships to berth at its piers, because it has a depth of about 20 to 30 meters. "Sabang is better because it has a depth of about 20 to 30 meters. It is the same as Lembata in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). It is good," the senior minister revealed.
The government wants Sail Sabang 2017 to be well organized and not as Sail Karimata 2016, which was carried out in a disorderly manner. The minister himself said he was disappointed with Sail Karimata 2016, which was in North Kayong, West Kalimantan. It was not well prepared as several days before the D-Day, the construction of infrastructural facilities such as roads were still under way.
Hence, Luhut reminded the provincial government of Aceh and Sabang city government on the detailed preparations for 'Sabang Sail 2017,' which will be held from Nov 28 to Dec 5.
"I think we have a lot of experience. We should be able to prepare better from this experience. I wish to have the details on the preparations," he stated at the '2017 Sail Sabang' coordination meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Luhut instructed the local governments to prepare the details on the locations and attractions that could be visited by tourists during the event.
"The toilet facilities should be prepared, and steps to prevent buildup of 'plastic debris' (waste plastic) should also be taken," he added.
According to the minister, these matters are important for the government to be able to develop tourism. The revenues from tourism in 2019 are expected to reach US$20 billion, which are higher than those obtained from the energy sector, which is currently still a mainstay earner.
"Hence, to encourage this sector, we must improve our hospitality as well as infrastructure such as telecommunication networks, radio, television, and bandwidth. But the local culture should also be highlighted," he noted.
Meanwhile, deputy for the tourism industry and destination at the Tourism Ministry Dadang Rizki Ratman stated that the sailing event was part of the efforts to develop Sabang as a maritime tourism destination area.
The government has set a medium-term plan for 2019 to develop Sabang, he noted.
The event in Sabang is expected to attract tourists not only to Sabang but also to Banda Aceh, provincial capital of Aceh.
"Foreign tourist arrivals in Sabang currently reach some 12 thousand. By 2019, the number of foreign tourists is expected to increase three folds to reach some 30 thousand. Hence, we need to improve accessibility and human resources to serve as guides and diving instructors," he remarked.
Based on the agreement reached during the coordination meeting, Sail Sabang 2017, which will take place in four locations on the bay of Sabang, Sabang Fair, Gapang Resort, and Kilometer Zero, will be held under the theme "Sabang Toward Destination Gate of World Maritime Tourism."
Sail Sabang will take place in Sabang (Weh Island), Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, from Nov 28 to Dec 5, 2017. The peak of the event will take place in Sabang Fair and will be attended by President Joko Widodo on Dec 2, 2017.
During the peak event, the organizers will present the Admiral Malahayati colossal dance; a tall ship parade (by Indonesia¿s KRI Bima Suci warship from Spain and tall ships from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore), followed by the Nusantara Youth Ship; Baruna Jaya IV and VIII research ships; 100 yachts from Langkawi, Phuket, Singapore, Australia, and Europe; and a parade by traditional fishermen.
Apart from that, a number of supporting activities such as sci-tech Jamboree, international free diving competition, Sabang underwater contest, Sabang Carnival, Aceh culinary and coffee festival, Sabang Wonderful Expo, Marine Expo, Sales Mission Cruise Operator and Yacht, and a Marine Tourism Seminar will be held.
Other interesting activities will include Indonesia Charm Performance, fishing contests, and photo and video contests.(A014/INE/B003)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 29-03-2017 21:46 |
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