MANADO-DAVAO-RAJA AMPAT CONNECTIVITY EXPECTED TO BOOST TOURISM AND BUSINESS by Fardah

  Jakarta, Sept 11, 2014 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has encouraged domestic airlines to serve on the flight route connecting the scenic locations of Davao in Mindanao, Philippines, and Indonesia's Manado in North Sulawesi and Raja Ampat District in West Papua.

        The flight route is expected to boost the tourism industry, particularly in North Sulawesi and West Papua, Transportation Minister E.E. Mangindaan recently stated.    

   "The preparations are underway as the route already exists," the minister stated in Manado, on August 2014.

         Garuda Indonesia has served the Manado-Manokwari and Manado-Raja Ampat flight routes and will soon open a new route that will also connect Davao, according to Mangindaan.

         "Not only Garuda Indonesia but Sriwijaya Air has also planned to serve the same routes. I will sign the required permits in the next couple of days," he noted.

         To support the plan, the minister discussed with the North Sulawesi governor regarding the need to expand the Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado.

         "I have asked them to extend the runway by 250 meters, and it has been agreed upon," he stated.

        Indonesia has chosen Davao as geographically, the Filipino city is close to North Sulawesi. Besides, Davao, which is endowed with an array of picturesque landscapes, has become a favorite tourist destination that has attracted many foreigners.

        The Indonesian government is trying to lure tourists visiting Davao to proceed to Manado and Raja Ampat, which are relatively not far.

         Being dubbed the "Durian City", Davao is known for the scenic and majestic Mount Apo, the highest peak in the country with an elevation of 10, 311 feet above sea level.

         In February 2014, Sun Star Davao published that a total of 1.429 million foreign and domestic tourists visited Davao City last year.

         The Davao tourism office noted that the tourism industry has grown significantly due to an increase in the number of seats offered by the airlines serving Davao City.

         Manado is famous for its Bunaken Marine Park, which is one of the best in the world and is considered to be one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
   The park spans a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97 percent of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical waters. The remaining 3 percent of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain, and Siladen.  
    The park has seven of the eight species of giant clams that exist in the world. Bunaken has around 70 genera of corals in comparison to merely 10 found in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than that found in the Philippines, where 2.5 thousand species, or nearly 70 percent of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.
    Raja Ampat is often named as "Heaven on Earth", "Miracle of Papua," and "Underwater Paradise on Earth" for its mesmerizing marine panoramas.  
    With one of the most beautiful marine panoramas in the world, Raja Ampat has the potential to draw many foreign tourists and, in particular, world-class divers.

         The name Raja Ampat or "Four Kings" is derived from a local myth. It has four major islands: Waigeo, Salawati, Batanta, and Misool, which are home to ancient rock paintings.

         In total, the Raja Ampat district has around 1.7 thousand islands, including the unoccupied and most beautiful Isle of Wayag, which is made of karst or limestone from other isles.

         The waters of Raja Ampat have approximately 603 hard coral species, representing 75 percent of the total coral reefs in the world, according to information posted on rajaampatlodge.com.

  
     Maiden flight
    On September 1, 2014, Sriwijaya Air officially made a maiden flight from Manado to Davao, Mindanao.

         North Sulawesi Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang was among the 90 people aboard the plane in a flight that marked the reopening of the route from Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport to Bangoy Airport in Davao City.

        Governor Sarundajang held a meeting with several Filipino businessmen in Davao to promote his province's tourist destinations and investment opportunities.

         "I invite Filipino businessmen, particularly those from Davao, to invest in North Sulawesi," he noted.

        According to Filipino media website Rappler.com, Arturo Boncato, the Department of Tourism (DOT) assistant secretary on tourism regulation, coordination and resource generation, said the maiden flight was one of the initiatives launched by the government and the private sector to connect Mindanao to other destinations in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

        "Davao-Manado is strategic in connecting North Sulawesi to Mindanao as we are close to each other as compared to what our capital cities are to each other. It can spur economic activity to include trade and tourism that can create its own ripple effect in our areas," Boncato noted in a text message to Rappler.

          Recently, several Filipino businessmen led by Consul General Jose D.R. Burgos held a meeting with North Sulawesi's Deputy Governor Djouhari Kansil to welcome the reopening of a direct flight between Manado and Davao, the Philippines.

         During the meeting, businessmen from the Philippines conveyed their gratitude for the reopening of the flight services and also the ferry services from Bitung, Sangihe, directly to Davao.

         They will use the opportunity to improve cooperation with the businessmen from North Sulawesi for trading prime commodities from the region, Burgos noted.

        The businessmen from the Philippines who were part of the delegation included Vicente T. Lao, the president and CEO of Maharlika Agro-Marine Ventures Corp. and his wife who is also the chairman and CEO of Mt. Sinai Mining Exploration and Development Corporation; Bonifacio Fernandez, BF Industries, Inc., which manufactures activated carbon and charcoal briquettes; and Anelyn G. Binancilan, a senior economic development specialist.

          The businessmen from the Philippines are targeting commodities such as cloves, corn, fish, and other products.

         Deputy Governor Kansil stated that corn production in the region still managed to reach 85 thousand tons per harvest, which occurs thrice a year.

         Although production is still low, the region can become the processing center for exports.

          He affirmed that the Bitung Port had become the collection center for commodities to be exported using container ships. On the occasion, he also expressed readiness to help the businessmen from the Philippines who are keen to invest in North Sulawesi.

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(f001/INE)