Jokowi visits new tourist spots in Labuan Bajo

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited Puncak Waringin, a new tourist destination in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Wednesday.

Labuan Bajo area, in general, was being prioritized by the government as a new tourist destination to be further developed.

"We have planned to develop 10 new destinations for the last two years. We will prioritize four of them, including Labuan Bajo," the president said.

Puncak Waringin covers a hilly area of one hectare and will be equipped with a souvenir center, an amphitheater, an open green area, and an observation deck.

The government will accelerate the development of infrastructure including an airport in the region to boost local tourism, he stated.

"Next year at the latest, everything has to be completed, including terminal, airport, and runway," Chandra A Kurniawan, a presidential spokesman, quoted the president as saying, in a statement.

The president wanted the airports in the regions where tourist destinations existed to be managed by those having an international tourism network, he added.

Labuan Bajo needs to be totally revamped with packages presenting attractive local art and cultural events to attract domestic and foreign tourists. In the meantime, East Nusa Tenggara's tourism and creative economic office has identified 1,181 tourist attractions located in 22 districts and municipalities in the province.

"New natural and cultural tourism attractions have been identified," Wayan Darmawa, head of the NTT tourism and creative economic office, stated in Kupang recently.

The natural ecosystem and culture are the strengths of these attractions, he noted.

The NTT government will focus on promoting environmental and cultural preservation to support sustainable tourism, he remarked.

Traditional houses and kampongs will be preserved, Darmawa emphasized.

Raknamo Dam in Kupang and Rotiklot Dam in Belu are among the new tourism attractions, he revealed.

The NTT tourism office will promote at least five newly developed tourism attractions These include Liman Beach on Semau Isle in Kupang District, Mulut Seribu waters in Rote Ndao District, and Fatumnasi natural and cultural tourism attractions in South Timur Tengah.

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