REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANADO -- Foreign tourist arrivals in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi is expected to increase significantly in the upcoming years, according to an official.
"The province of North Sulawesi has a huge tourism potential, and therefore, the government will continue to develop it in a bid to increase the number of foreign tourist arrivals," Lippo Homes CEO Ivan Budiono stated here on Wednesday.
According to Budiono, this year, the central government is encouraging development in the eastern region of Indonesia to counterbalance the growth in the western part of the country.
He noted that in cooperation with the government, the Lippo Group, one of Indonesia's largest conglomerates, will help the North Sulawesi provincial city of Manado to achieve integrated development in areas such as real estate, lifestyle, education, health, entertainment, and sports.
"The Lippo Group is committed to developing numerous tourist destinations in the city of Manado to attract both domestic and foreign tourists in the years to come," Budiono noted.
He pointed out that the Lippo Group will help the North Sulawesi provincial administration to develop tourism in the Bunaken Marine Park.
"The Bunaken Marine Park is beautiful, but we want to help develop and make it even more beautiful and attractive," Budiono stated here on Monday.
He noted that the development of tourism in Bunaken Marine Park is in line with the expansion of Monaco Bay in the heart of the city of Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
"The Monaco Bay will have a marina to connect the city of Manado to the marine tourism attraction of Bunaken," Budiono explained.
He emphasized that Bunaken will be made more attractive, especially in terms of keeping the sea clean and improving transportation to that location.
"Therefore, the presence of Monaco Bay is expected to have a positive impact on the regional economy, especially the tourism sector," he affirmed.