Tourism Development Should Not Harm Environment: Ministry

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The development of tourism sector for people's welfare in Indonesia, notably Bali, should not harm the environment, Wisnu Bawa Tarunajaya of the Tourism Ministry said.

"The development of tourism should have a positive impact on the local people. There were many cases in the past where hotels ignored the participation of the local people. These hotels eventually could not survive because of disturbances created by the locals around them," Tarunajaya, who is a deputy for human resources of the Tourism Ministry, added.

If the industrial players are not able to survive, a sustainable development of the tourism sector would be difficult to achieve, Tarunajaya stated while opening a symposium on a Century of Bali's Tourism.

He noted that the people, including academicians, activists and tourists, must be involved in the development of tourism, notably in Bali, Jakarta, Batam and 10 main tourism destinations.

The Ministry of Tourism has decided to give priority to the development of 10 tourism destinations in the country, namely Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Tanjung Kelayang in Belitung, Tanjung Lesung in Banten, Kota Tua and Kepulauan Seribu in Jakarta, the Borobudur Buddhist Temple in Central Java, Gunung Bromo Tengger Semeru in East Java, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, Morotai in North Malauku, and Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi. (WDY)