REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government will develop 10 main tourist destinations to help boost the country's economic growth, stated Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli.

"We will develop 10 main tourist destinations in Indonesia apart from Bali Island as other regions also hold huge potential," Minister Ramli stated during a Core Economic Outlook discussion held here on Wednesday.

The 10 new main tourist destinations will be developed at par with international standards.

Lake Toba in North Sumatra will be one of the 10 destinations.

The government will invest in developing infrastructure and facilities around Lake Toba, such as building roads, internet network, markets, and hotels.

"So far, seven investors have expressed interest in investing in the tourist destination," he stated.

He estimated that some Rp3.2 trillion will be needed to implement the projects around Lake Toba.

The One Thousand Islands, locally known as Pulau Seribu and located off North Jakarta, is another potential tourist destination to be developed.

"An airport and portable water pipeline network will be constructed on Pulau Seribu, so that the tourists can proceed directly to the location from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng. Clean water supply is also needed to improve the health of the local inhabitants," he stated.

Other potential areas include Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, Raja Ampat in West Papua, Borobudur in Yogyakarta, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, and Mount Bromo in Central Java.

He expressed hope that once the projects are realized, Indonesia's economic growth would surpass that of India and the Philippines.

"We have set an economic growth target of at least six percent by implementing these projects," he remarked.

Indonesia has set a target to attract 20 million tourists a year in the next five years.

The minister remarked that Indonesia has rich biodiversity and natural beauty, which will be able to attract more number of tourists than Malaysia, which is geographically smaller in size.

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