Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The development of the tourism area in Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara Province will be started, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated.
"We will definitely complete the development of the tourism area in Mandalika. The president and vice president have visited the area twice," Jokowi noted here on Wednesday.
Mandalika was selected by the Tourism Ministry as one of the ten new tourism destinations in 2015.
The president held a meeting with Deputy Governor of West Nusa Tenggara Muhammad Alie and the celebration committee of National Press Day 2016 at the State Palace in Jakarta.
The local administration hoped Mandalika would be able to attract more number of foreign tourists to help achieve the target of 20 million foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in 2019.
Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had granted the special economic zone status to Mandalika in June 2014.
The committee of National Press Day 2016 will organize a celebration on Mandalika Beach on February 7-9, 2016.
President Jokowi has planned to attend the celebration and inaugurate several construction projects in the province, including a sugar factory and a dam.
Jokowi stated that the choice of Mandalika Beach as the venue to hold the National Press Day 2016 celebrations was appropriate.
The president said he will revise the agenda to attend the event.
The government had earlier declared ten new tourism destinations in Indonesia: Toba Lake, Belitung Island, Tanjung Lesung Beach, Seribu Islands in Jakarta, Borobudur Temple, Mount Bromo, Mandalika Beach of Lombok, Komodo Island, Wakatobi National Park, and Morotai of Papua.
By developing new tourism destinations, the government believes that Indonesia, in the near future, will be able to increase revenue from tourism that is targeted to reach US$40 billion. (WDY)
