CENTRAL SULAWESI GEARS UP TO WELCOME SAIL TOMINI'S GUESTS by Fardah

        Jakarta, Aug 7, 2015 (Antara)- The Central Sulawesi administration is gearing up to welcome international and domestic guests participating in the international maritime event Sail Tomini 2015 next month.

       The preparations for the implementation of Sail Tomini, which is this year's edition of the annual Sail Indonesia event, have reached more than 75 percent.

       All preparations, particularly concerning infrastructure, must be completed by August 31, Secretary of the national organizing committee of Sail Tomini Dedi Sutisna stated while chairing a meeting on the preparations of the event held in Parigi, Central Sulawesi, on August 5.

        He reminded the local organizing committee to work harder and ensure that every task is completed on time.

        Everything has to be in place to welcome President Joko Widodo along with several ministers, foreign and domestic diplomats, as well as some 10 thousand other guests expected to be present in Parigi for the peak ceremony of Sail Tomini on September 19, 2015.

         President Widodo will also visit Gorontalo to attend the Boalemo Festival, which will be organized to coincide with Sail Tomini, he remarked.   
    Boalemo festival will take place at beautiful Bolihutuo Beach  on September 10 to showcase several art, cultural, and culinary activities, including a parade featuring the 10 ethnic cultures of Gorontalo, culinary festivals, and water sports activities.

       Sutisna hoped that the number of foreign tourists visiting Central Sulawesi and the neighboring province of Gorontalo would double and reach 15 thousand per month following the implementation of Sail Tomini and Boalemo Festival.  
  The foreign ministry will send some 40 Indonesian diplomats, stationed in numerous countries, to attend the international maritime event of Sail Tomini, scheduled in Central Sulawesi Province, to introduce them to the nation's tourism potential.

        It is the first time that the ministry will send diplomats to the annual Sail Indonesia event that has been organized since some years, Deputy V of the Coordinating Minister for the Development of Human Resources and Culture Haswan Yunas stated here, Thursday.

           The diplomats are Indonesian economic agents tasked with promoting the country's tourism overseas, he noted.    
   Several foreign ambassadors to Indonesia have also been invited to attend the peak ceremony of Sail Tomini, which will be held in Parigi Moutong District, some 75 kilometers from Palu.

        The ambassadors will also be invited to join a diplomatic tour of Central Sulawesi to see other tourist attractions such as Togian Islands National Park located in Tojo Unauna, which has a scenic underwater panorama and is not far from Parigi Moutong.

        "I am optimistic that Parigi Moutong will be developed into a new tourist destination in Indonesia following the implementation of Sail Tomini 2015," he noted.

        The agenda of Sail Tomini encompasses 24 activities such as a yacht rally, a maritime research expedition, a sailing pass, exhibitions, and scientific seminars. The event is expected to be attended by 10 thousand guests.

        "We have invited 20 countries to send their warships. Eight of them have given a positive response, and six have sent their confirmation to participate in the event," Commander of the Eastern Indonesian Naval Fleet Battle Group Rear Admiral Dewanto stated in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi Province, recently.

        He informed that Singapore and Malaysia might send two warships each.

        The Indonesian Navy will deploy 27 warships for the event, including for providing security to President Jokowi, some ministers, and foreign ambassadors expected to attend the event.

        The Navy hopes that the sailing pass will have the participation of 27 Indonesian warships, 20 foreign warships, 20 ships from domestic institutions, and fishing ships measuring at least 10 meters in length.

        Activities during the sailing pass will include a parachuting display that will involve military personnel from the Indonesian Air Force, Army, and Navy.

        Sail Tomini is the seventh Sail Indonesia event, after Sail Bunaken held in North Sulawesi in 2009, Sail Banda in Maluku in 2010, Sail Wakatobi-Belitung in Southeast Sulawesi and Bangka Balitung in 2011, Sail Morotai in North Maluku in 2012, Sail Komodo in East Nusa Tenggara in 2013, and Sail Raja Ampat in West Papua in 2014.

        Some 100 foreign yachters from various countries are expected to participate in Sail Tomini 2015.

        A number of yachts carrying foreign participants recently arrived at Tendys beach, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on their way Central Sulawesi to take part in Sail Indonesia.

      On July 28, seven yachts arrived with around 35 foreign tourists aboard, Marius Ardu Jelamu, the head of the East Nusa Tenggara tourism and creative economy office, stated last month.

       On July 26, two yachts with some 10 to 15 foreign tourists had also landed on the beach, he noted.

       The province was expecting to welcome a total of 44 yachts. These yachts will also sail to other tourist destinations in Indonesia.

      From Kupang, the yachts will sail to Labuan Bajo, Alor, Rote, and other tourist destinations in the province.   ***1***
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