REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya inaugurated the Borobudur Tourism Authority Agency at Trimurti Building of Prambanan Temple Complex, Magelang, on Wednesday.

The establishment of Borobudur Tourism Authority Agency was based on Presidential Regulation No. 46 of 2017 on the Establishment of the Borobudur Tourism Authority Board (BOP). The presidential regulation was passed on April 11, 2017.

"The inauguration of BOP will be followed by the administrative process of BOP head election," Deputy of infrastructure coordination at the office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry, Ridwan Djamaludin, stated in a press release here on Wednesday.

Currently, the selection committee (Pansel) is still being processed by the Ministry of Tourism, he noted.

The agency will manage the tourism area in three national tourism destinations, including Solo-Sangiran and its surroundings, Semarang-Karimun Java and its surroundings, and Borobudur-Yogyakarta and its surroundings.

"The Borobudur Tourism Authority Board will coordinate with tourism management and involve the community," he explained.

The special authority agency can minimize the potential for conflicts among the citizens.

"Thus, the arrangement of tourism can be sustainable. It is also expected to provide benefits to the surrounding population while maintaining its sustainability," he pointed out.

Borobudur is one of the 10 main tourist destinations whose development is being prioritized by the government.

The 10 prioritized tourism destinations are Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Tanjung Kelayang (Bangka Belitung), Morotai (North Maluku), Tanjung Lesung (Banten), Wakatobi National Park (Southeast Sulawesi), the Seribu Islands (Jakarta), Mandalika Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara), Borobudur Temple (Central Java), and Mount Bromo (East Java).

The government had earlier set a target to receive 15 million foreign tourists this year and 20 million by 2019.

To achieve this goal, better infrastructure and facilities in the tourism industry are needed.

Yahya and Chief of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong delivered presentations on the country¿s tourism potentials before some 400 investors attending the 2017 Regional Investment Forum (RIF) held in Nusa Dua, Bali, which is one of the world¿s most famous tourist resort island, on Feb 23, 2017.

The tourism sector is the most inexpensive and easiest means for the government to boost economic growth and foreign exchange as well as create jobs, according to the minister.

Indonesia¿s growth in the tourism sector in 2015 was far above that of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and also across the world, he noted.

"In general, Indonesia¿s tourism sector grew by 10.3 percent, above the five percent growth recorded in the ASEAN and 4.4 percent in the world," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the BKPM has promoted investment potentials in the tourism sector and its supporting infrastructure.

"The tourism sector and its supporting infrastructure, which is no less important, will become a priority to attract foreign and domestic investors," BKPM Chief Thomas Lembong stated.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika