REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SABANG -- Indonesia's cruise ship market is currently better than Australia's, Indonesian Maritime Pilots Association (INAMPA) President Parsoroan Herman Harinanja stated here on Thursday.
Cruise ships, carrying thousands of passengers and sailing to several destinations in various countries, need to offer optimal service. The best cruise ships currently operate from Singapore and Hong Kong.
"The best cruise ships in Asia are from Singapore and Hong Kong. Hence, we need to collaborate with those two countries to help market Sabang as well as other tourist destinations in Indonesia to boost the number of tourist arrivals," Harinanja explained.
As the westernmost islands in the archipelago, Sabang has tourism potential that needs to be managed optimally and promoted internationally, particularly among the cruise communities in Asia and Europe.
The islands' natural panorama, advanced port infrastructure, and additional tour packages are expected to boost cruise ship visits.
The Tourism Ministry, Sabang city government, and Sabang Regional Management Board had earlier declared Sabang as an "International Marine Tourism Hubport" in the islands, last Tuesday (July 25).
The declaration is important taking into account the increase in the number of cruise ship visits to the islands surrounded by the Malacca Strait and Indian Ocean, the ministry's honorary advisory Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo noted.
"Indonesia only has the Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta and Sabang, Aceh, where cruise ships, with a capacity of three thousand people, can anchor," he remarked.
The government, under President Joko Widodo, is ambitious to support the development of the tourism sector to increase state revenue and boost the people's economy.
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