EAST NUSA TENGGARA GEARS UP FOR SAIL KOMODO 2013 by Fardah

     Jakarta, Feb 5, 2013 (Antara) - As part of annual Sail Indonesia activities, East Nusa Tenggara Province will host an international maritime event called Sail Komodo this year.

         "Sail Komodo will make Komodo Island famous and help attract foreign as well as domestic tourists to visit the island," said Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono  when chairing a coordinating meeting on the implementation of Sail Komodo, in Jakarta on February 4, 2013.

          The minister said the peak event of Sail Komodo will be organized on September 7 or 15, 2013.  "Sail Komodo event will be promoted and advertised continuously, so Komodo Island will be well-known internationally and become a world's tourist destination," he said.

         Last year, Rp1,5 billion was allocated for the promotion of Sail Komodo maritime event.

         Sail Komodo is also expected to help improve the welfare of local people and accelerate the development in East Nusa Tenggara Province, including in the health and education fields.

          "The local people are trained to make handicraft before Sail Komodo takes place, and hopefully it will help increase their earnings," he said.

          Various infrastructure and facilities, such as hotels, pears and an airport are also being built to support the implementation of Sail Komodo, he said.

           "The implementation of Sail Komodo will bring positive impacts on the local community," he added.

           On February 2, 2013, Minister Agung Laksono and Public Housing Minister Djan Faridz went to East Nusa Tenggara to inspect the preparations for the maritime event.

          The visit of the two ministers reflected the support of the central government to the implementation of Sail Komodo, West Manggara District Head Agustinus Ch. Dula said.

          The ministers visited Labuan Bajo Sub-district, West Manggarai District, which will be the location of a sailing pass during the peak event of Sail Komodo. On February 3, 2013, they proceeded to Komodo Island by a speedboat.

          Founded in 1980, the Komodo National Park is home to  Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), the world's only surviving prehistoric giant lizard.

          The Park includes three islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller islands covering a total area of 1,817 square kilometers.

           In 1977, the Komodo National Park was named a biosphere reserve by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). And in 1991, UNESCO inscribed the island accommodating around 3,000 komodo dragons, into its World Natural Heritage List.

         In 2011, the Komodo National Park was included in the provisional list of the New World 7 Wonders.

         East Nusa Tenggara Governor Frans Lebu Raya in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara, last month, officially announced that Sail Komodo will be organized in the province on September 7 or 15 this year.

            All stake holders must help promote the international event and the budget for the promotion was available, Lebu Raya said.

          East Nusa Tenggara has also allocated Rp5 billion for the development of 100 tourism villages as part of the Sail Komodo 2013.

          "The region has very prospective tourism potential, and we will promote it through the sail event," the governor said.
     A colossal traditional dance depicting Komodo dragon will be performed by around 500 to 1,000 dancers during the Sail Komodo peak event which is expected to be attended by among others Vice President Boediono, Yohana Lingu Langu of the East Nusa Tenggara tourism office said recently.

          "For the art performance, we will involve dancers from a number of dance groups in Kupang as well as junior and senior high school students," she said.

          Besides the colossal Komodo dragon dance, other traditional dances to be performed during the event will include "Bonet and Bidu" from South Timor Tengah (TTS) and North Timor Tengah Utara (TTU) Districts, "Likurai and Tebe" from Belu District, "Lego-Lego" from Alor, "Dolo-Dolo" from East Flores, "Gawi" from Ende, "Pado'a" from Sabu Rai Jua, and "Kataga" from West Sumba.  
     The East Nusa Tenggara provincial administration has also launched an official website of Sail Komodo 2013 to help promote Sail Komodo 2013, Head of the East Nusa Tenggara Cultural and Tourism Office Abraham Klakik said in Kupang recently.

          "We are optimistic that Sail Komodo 2013 will run smoothly because NTT has become a destination of Sail Indonesia since 2004," he stated.

          Sail Komodo 2013 will be highlighted with among other things a seminar, a maritime sport game, a cultural festival, and a handicraft exhibition.

          Around 500 yachts from several countries will participate in Sail Komodo. They will start from Darwin on July 28, 2013 and are expected to arrive in Kupang on August 1-5, 2013.

         They will gather in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, on September 13-16, 2013, to see Komodo dragons living in Komodo National Park.

          From Labuan Bajo, the participants coming from several countries, will proceed to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara and other Indonesian provinces including Bali.
   "In total, around 5.000 visitors from Australia, the United States, Japan, and several other countries will take part in the event," he said.

          Meanwhile, PT Telkomsel, a leading operator of cellular telecommunications services in Indonesia, has expressed an intention to support the implementation of Sail Komodo 2013.

          Telkomsel will expand the Internet service network coverage in East Nusa Tenggara Province during the international maritime event, Pandu Maulana, a spokesman of PT Telkomsel's Regional office of Bali and Nusa Tenggara, said in Kupang, on February 1, 2013.

         The Internet service network quality in Kupang, Maumere, Enda and Waingapu will also be improved, he added.

         As part of Sail Indonesia maritime events, Indonesia had previously organized Sail Bunaken (2009), Sail Banda (2010), Sail Wakatobi Belitung (2011), and Sail Morotai (2012). ***3***

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(T.F. Assegaf/A/F. Assegaf/ 05-02-2013 12:59:06