Jakarta: Tourism Minister Arief Yahya expressed his willingness to support the development of Lombongo hot spring tourism area as a leading tourist attraction in Gorontalo Province.
According to the minister, the tourism development in Gorontalo will be focused on three issues namely marketing activities, destination development, and institutional and industrial development.
For marketing activities, the government will make Manado as a tourism hub. In the meantime, for the destination development, the government will establish Tourism Special Economic Zone to accelerate the deregulation and acceleration of the development of Lombongo. Moreover, for the industrial and institutional development, the government will focus on building communities around tourist destinations.
"This is precisely what must be prioritized the most," Minister Arief said in a press statement released on Tueesday, October 8, 2019.
Lombongo is a hot spring located about 19 kilometers east of Gorontalo. This natural hot spring can be enjoyed because of the geothermal activity around the Lombongo area. Its location, which is close to a conservation forest, is also making it a special attraction.
On his working visit to Gorontalo on Sunday, October 6, 2019, Minister Arief along with other officials also planted a tree named ‘pohon asuh’ and released the maleo bird.
Maleo bird is a typical endemic of Sulawesi which has a loyal and independent nature and also has high productivity. Maleo birds breed by laying eggs which are 6 times larger than chicken eggs. What special from the bird is, since hatching from eggs, maleo chicks have lived independently.
Tourism activists in Lombongo rescue Maleo eggs. Usually eggs can be found in the depth of the land around 200 meters, then the surrounding community takes action in the form of conservation so that the eggs are protected from predator attacks. Habitually, the conservation community also releases these animals.
Meanwhile, Regent of Bone Bolango, Hamim Puo, said that his party hoped that the arrival of the Tourism Minister could motivate the development of tourism in Gorontalo.
"Tourism Minister has seen one of Sulawesi's endemic animals, namely maleo birds. In fact, there are many more endemic animals that can be seen here, including whale sharks, Gorontalo monkeys, Sulawesi bear cuscus, hogs, and many others. The richness of its flora is also extraordinary," he was quoted as saying.
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