Sabtu, 21 Sep 2019 11:09
Daerah : Jakarta
Jakarta (ANTARA) - With the
international maritime event of Sail Nias 2019 being organized from July
to September 2019, the government is stepping up the promotion of Nias
Island as a surfing haven for international visitors.
The
Indonesian government’s steadfastness to transform Nias into a global
tourist destination gateway was echoed by Coordinating Maritime Affairs
Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan while officially opening Sail Nias at a
peak ceremony held at the Teluk Dalam Seaport, South Nias District,
North Sumatra Province, on Sept 14, 2019.
Various
activities organized during the event included the Wonderful Nias Expo
2019, battleship parade, Nias Marathon, culinary bazaar, and traditional
art and cultural performances.
Other activities
comprised Wind Surfing and Sailing Contests, Free Diving Competition,
Stone Jump Festival, Coffee Festival, Fishing Tournament, Wonderful
Tourism Photo Expo, One Thousand Tents Festival, the Mt Sitoli cultural
seminar, and Traditional Fishing Boat Parade, with the participation of
some 100 fishermen boats.
A ceremonial stone jump
tradition is the icon of Nias and has already gained popularity among
travelers. The stone jump tradition was born along with the Nias War
Dance. Since primeval times, tribes in Nias would oftentimes clash among
themselves, and the chief (siulu) of every tribe trained their young
members for war; stone jumping being part of the training.
The
2019 Sail Nias event involved four districts and a city on the island
of Nias, specifically Gunungsitoli City and the districts of South Nias,
West Nias, Nias, and North Nias.
It unveiled Nias
Island as the best-kept secret of Indonesians to the world. Among the
top secrets of Nias Island is Sorake Beach, recognized as the
second-best place to surf, after Hawaii.
"We see
Nias as one of the most popular regions for surfing. We have organized
international surfing competitions here. The tourism minister is also
present here. We are determined to make Nias better," Pandjaitan stated.
He
appealed to all elements of the nation, including the government and
community, to continue to work hard to promote tourist destinations on
Nias Island.
The Tourism Ministry avers that Sail
Nias 2019 offered the momentum to revive tourism on the island located
in North Sumatra Province and popular in the 1980s and 1990s.
"Sail
Nias has become a momentum for the revitalization or revival of tourism
in Nias," Rizki Handayani, deputy in charge of marketing development of
the Tourism Ministry, stated here on Thursday.
The island has scenic beaches, suitable for water sports activities, such as surfing and scuba diving.
In
the 1980s and 1990s, Nias had gained traction as a haven for surfers
and viewed as one of the world's premier surfing locations after Hawaii.
Sail
Nias was expected to help restore Nias' popularity as an international
marine tourist resort. Several foreign cruises and yachts visited Nias
during the event.
Themed "Nias Toward World
Maritime Tourism Gate," Sail Nias is the 11th series of Sail Indonesia
organized annually since 2009. The previous Sail Indonesia series were
Sail Bunaken in North Sulawesi in 2009, Sail Banda in Maluku (2010),
Sail Wakatobi-Belitong in Southeast Sulawesi and Bangka Belitung (2011),
Sail Morotai in North Maluku (2012), Sail Komodo in East Nusa Tenggara
(2013), Sail Rajampat in West Papua (2014), Sail Tomini in Central
Sulawesi (2015), Sail Karimata Strait in West Kalimantan (2016), Sail
Sabang in Aceh (2017), and Sail Moyo Tambora in West Nusa Tenggara
(2018).
Sail Indonesia is initially targeted to
boost development in remote regions in Indonesia and promote tourist
destinations in the host regions.
The international
maritime event has indeed helped boost infrastructure development on
Nias Island, which lies some 125 km off the western coast of Sumatra
Island on the Indian Ocean.
Pandjaitan stated that
the government will renovate infrastructure, particularly those
connecting the local airport and tourist destinations in Nias Island to
drive tourism in the region.
The government has
remained committed to developing the tourism industry in Indonesia by
building infrastructure to ensure connectivity among tourist objects.
"The
government will develop a link from Toba to Sibolga and then to Nias.
The airport has been expanded. Despite the presence of a mountain there,
we will try to expand the runway to 2,700 meters to enable the landing
of Boeing 737. We are trying to find a solution now," he stated.
Airport
renovation is crucial as a proper airport can help boost tourist
arrivals akin to what was observed in Lake Toba after Silangit Airport
was upgraded into an international one.
The
minister quoted President Jokowi as saying that tourism is currently one
of Indonesia's economic growth pillars. The president emphasized that
Nias should focus on its two fields of tourism and fishery that hold
major potential.
EDITED BY INE
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