Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is speeding up to complete the development of tourism infrastructure in five super-priority destinations: Borobudur (Central Java), Lake Toba (North Sumatera), Mandalika (West Nusa Tenggara), Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara), and Likupang (North Sulawesi).
The ministry's Tourism Investment Deputy Assistant on Tourism Destination Development, Hengky Manurung, said the government had earmarked a significant amount of budget for the development of super-priority tourism destination.
"The amount of the budget is almost Rp 11 trillion for infrastructure. We will not only build roads, but we have to think about hospitals and human resources development," Manurung said in the IDX Channel Economic Outlook in JS Luwansa Hotel, Jakarta, Thursday (January 16) as SIndonews reported.
The biggest challenges
Hiramsyah, the ministry's Head of Acceleration Team for 10 Priorities Destinations, policy synchronization is one of the main obstacles in developing those destinations. Therefore, coordination involving departments and other institutions is necessary.
For example, the construction of a new airport should consider several factors, such as whether the airport is near a tourism destination.
A high-quality infrastructure is vital in boosting the tourism sector's growth. Rodrigo Chavez, the World Bank representative to Indonesia, is optimistic that Indonesia's tourism industry can support the country's overall growth, given Indonesia is an archipelagic country with lots of amazing destinations.
The World Bank data showed that 40 per cent to 45 per cent of foreign tourists chose Bali as their main destinations in 2016, meaning that the increase in the number of visiting tourists is related to the infrastructure in the respective area.
Other provinces are improving their infrastructure to push the tourism sector's growth
Indonesia has lots of stunning tourist destinations. However, many of them are difficult to reach due to poor transportation.
The Lampung province administration has allocated Rp 30 billion to build infrastructure in lesser-known destinations in the Bay of Kiluan, known for its dolphins and sea biodiversity.
Natural resource-rich province East Kalimantan is following suit, saying that the province could not only rely on revenues from the mining sector.
"East Kalimantan cannot continue to rely on non-renewable energy resources. Now, tourism is a promising sector that can push the province's growth," East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor told Bisnis.
