REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya, who was at the Asian Diving Expo (ADEX) 2016 in Singapore organized from April 15 to 17, 2016, invited divers across the world to enjoy the beauty of Indonesia's underwater.
"Please dive in Indonesia. We have more than 25 diving spots that have 500 unique points. Experience yourself the different sensations at each spot," the minister said in a press statement received by Antara here on Saturday.
The maritime tourism exhibition in Asia was attended by 200 travel industries.
The minister mentioned the ten maritime tourist destinations in Indonesia, namely Bali, Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara), Alor (East Nusa Tenggara), Derawan (East Kalimantan), Bunaken (North Sulawesi), Togean (Central Sulawesi), Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi), Ambon (Maluku), and Raja Ampat (West Papua).
The ministry invites 20 tourism industries from Aceh, Jakarta, Bali, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Maluku and West Papua to feature their tourist attractions at the expo.
Arief said Indonesia is targeting 1.8 million foreign tourists to visit the maritime tourist destinations in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government, he said, has extended a visa-free visit policy to 169 countries, and has revoked CAIT (Clearance Approval for Indonesia Territory) condition for yachts.
Another government policy aimed at facilitating tourism was the abolition of cabotage to allow foreign cruise ships to embark and disembark passengers at five seaports, namely Belawan Medan (North Sumatra), Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (East Java), Benoa (Bali) and Soekarno-Hatta (South Sulawesi).
The government is targeting 5,000 yachts in 2016 to come to Indonesia. Yatch-borne voyagers can dive at many places.
He said two-thirds of the world's coral reefs are located in Indonesia. The number one and two snorkeling spots in the world are in Raja Ampat and Labuan Bajo, according to CNN International.
Arief said Sergei Brit, the founder of Google, the largest search engine in the world, has dived in Raja Ampat. Google has committed to show the beauty of Raja Ampat's underwater.
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