Indonesia plans more cruise terminals
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Indonesia is planning to build more cruise terminals in an effort to increase tourism arrivals from the lucrative sector. Local media reported the country’s Culture & Tourism Minister, Jero Wacik, as saying yesterday that he wanted at least two new cruise ports, in Bali and the Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua. Currently cruise operators sailing to the Indonesian archipelago can only make stopovers in Semarang, on Central Java’s north coast, Surabaya in East Java, Batam in the Riau Islands, and Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara.
“In Bali, cruise ships can only stop in the middle of the ocean. So we’re building a cruise port where they can dock. Cruise ships have many elderly passengers, so [ports are important],” the Jakarta Post quoted Wacik as saying.
The plan to develop a port in the Raja Ampat Islands may be more surprising, but Wacik stressed that he wanted to draw tourism investment to eastern Indonesia. The 1,500-island Raja Ampat archipelago, located off the northwest tip of New Guinea, is considered one of Indonesia’s best marine parks. It boasts more than 1,000 fish species and 500 types of coral.
The minister’s comments came after Indonesia and Singapore agreed this week to jointly develop cruise tourism. Meanwhile, the newspaper also reported this week that nine Chinese companies have expressed an interest in building seaports and airports in West Papua.
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