WONDERFUL SAIL 2 INDONESIA TO PROMOTE BANGKA BELITUNG TOURISM by Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 20, 2016 (Antara) - Some participants of Sail Karimata Strait, this year's version of Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia series,  have moved from North Kayong, West Kalimantan, to Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, Sumatra.

          They will be attending more cultural events and enjoying the beautiful panorama.

          The Bangka Belitung Province, together with Jambi and Riau Islands, is co-hosting the Sail Karimata Strait with President Joko Widodo attending the peak event in Datuk Island Beach in the Sukadana sub-district, North Kayong, on Oct. 15.

          The Sail featured a national seminar on maritime affairs, organized in Jambi on August 25, 2016, and will witness the Belitung Festival on October 22 and the Riau Islands Maritime Festival on October 29.

          Currently, seven of the 30 yachts with some 110 crew members from 14 countries have arrived at the Bangka Island.

          Yachters from Italy, France, Australia, the Philippines, the Netherlands and the US are participating in the Oct 19-24 event in Bangka Belitung.

          Deputy District Head of Bangka Rustamsyah hoped that the Sail Karimata Strait will help promote tourism.

          "I am optimistic that all those countries which attended the Wonderful Sail 2016 at Parai Tenggiri Beach in Sungailiat will result in more tourists visiting the Bangka Island," he stated on Oct. 20
     He hoped that some 100 foreign ship crews joining the rally will inform their fellow citizens about the natural beauty of Bangka.

          "I hope an event like this is organized again in the future and it witnesses more foreign participants, better planning and funding," he observed.

          The ships pass around 18 tourist destinations including the Parai Sungailiat Beach.

          The Bangka administration has prepared art and cultural performances, including traditional dances, to entertain the participants from Oct. 19 to 23.

          The Sail activities include diving, snorkeling, touristic and city tours, yoga, and a traditional culinary bazaar.

          The Bangka authorities have been trying that the tourists carry a  good impression so that they return again to the island with their relatives and friends.

          Tourism is one of the priority sectors in Bangka Belitung's development program.

          The province is expected to receive a total of 7,500 foreign tourists this year, up from only 5,000 foreigners last years, according to Yan Megawandi, secretary to the Bangka Belitung Islands provincial administration.

          "We are optimistic that we will be able to achieve the target, because 5,600 people from abroad had already visited the province by August 2016," Megawandi remarked.

          Earlier, eight provinces and 36 foreign participants took part  in Sail Karimata Strait peak event in North Kayong this year.

          Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has promised to evaluate the annual international maritime event in order to upgrade it into a sustainable program.

          Having more than 17 thousand islands, Indonesia has seen the sea as one of the country's economic drivers that must be secured.

          "We are also pushing for maritime tourism development. We have Bunaken, Tomini Bay, Karimata Strait, Raja Ampat and many other [places of tourism attraction]. We will build the infrastructure and facilities, as well as push promotion so that our beautiful places can be introduced domestically and internationally," Jokowi said in North Kayong.

         The previous Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia events were 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, and Sail Morotai in North Maluku in 2012.

         Additionally, Sail Komodo was in East Nusa Tenggara in 2013, Sail Raja Ampat in West Papua in 2014, and Sail Tomini was held in the provinces of Central Sulawesi and Gorontalo in 2015.

         In the meantime, the government has believed that events such as Sail Karimata will add a momentum for the eventual strong culture of national maritime sports.

         "We should be able to have national maritime sports," Assistant Deputy for Culture, Arts and Maritime Sports at the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime, Kosmas Harefa, said.

         According to Kosmas, the ministry will continue to play a role in encouraging and coordinating with all sides and relevant sectors to promote national maritime sports.

        One of the goals in this regard is to make Indonesia a world maritime sports center for all athlete and people around the world.

        "Therefore, we organize exhibitions, cultural festivals and local games for all the people," he explained.

         Meanwhile, the Head of Development Achievement at the National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI), Kusworo Toni, added that maritime sports are the sports played on the sea or around the beach.

         Maritime sports comprise competitive and recreational sports, including canoeing, diving, fishing, jetski race and others.

         Various national maritime sports organized during Sail Karimata 2016 peak event included fishing, rowing, dragon boat race and decorating boats.

         From the Bangka Belitung Islands, Sail Karimata Strait will move to the Riau Islands Province, which is now gearing up for the Riau Island Maritime Festival to be held on Oct. 29, 2016. ***1***
(f001/INE)        
EDITED BY INE/H-YH


(T.F001/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 20-10-2016 19:08:43