REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government expects Labuan Bajo, one of the ten major Indonesian tourist destinations, to be visited by at least 500 thousand tourists by 2019, generating a revenue of up to Rp60 trillion (US$4.5 billion) per year.

"Labuan Bajo will be developed in order to bring in 500 thousand tourists per year, generating an estimated tourism revenue of Rp20 to Rp60 trillion," a Regional Development Expert affiliated with the Coordinating Minister of Maritime, Bambang Susanto Priyohadi, said here on Thursday.

Currently, the city, located at the western tip of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, receives about 91 thousand tourists annually with an average length of stay of 3-5 days and average spend pegged at Rp1.5 to Rp2.5 million per day. The total annual tourism revenue reaches Rp500 billion.

Bambang explained that the Coordinating Ministry, leading the exercise to formulate a development plan for priority tourist destinations, is preparing a draft Presidential Regulation to establish a Local Tourism Authority.

The Coordinating Ministry is also putting in place a development master plan, beginning from West Manggarai district.

"Thus, in 2017, Labuan Bajo will be ready to welcome additional new travelers," he informed, adding that the tourist sites in Labuan Bajo include a great deal of cultural wealth and natural panorama.

Tourists can see Komodo dragons and can dive, enjoy natural scenery and soak in cultural richness.

Besides Labuan Bajo, the other tourist destinations are Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Seribu Islands (Jakarta), Tanjung Kelayang (Bangka Belitung), Tanjung Lesung (Banten), Borobudur (Central Java), Mandalika (Nusa Tenggara west), Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi), Morotai (North Maluku) and Mount Bromo (East Java).

The development of the ten major tourist destinations is part of the efforts to attract more foreign tourists. The target for 2019 has been set at attracting 20 million tourists.

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