Jakarta: Stating that lake must be one of the mainstays of tourism in the country, Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro said that more efforts are needed to revitalize the lake.
"Perhaps, one of the ways to pay more attention to the lake is for the Ministry of Tourism to further promote the lake as an Indonesian tourist attraction," Bambang said at the Jakarta Lake Rescue Movement Revitalization Meeting on Tuesday.
According to him, Indonesia's number one tourist attraction that is often sold or offered to potential tourists both at home and abroad is its beaches, followed by mountains.
"The lake is very small, so it is never considered as tourism potential," he said.
Bambang cited the example of Switzerland, saying it could attract so many tourists precisely because of its lake, and not because of the sea, as Switzerland is a country in Europe surrounded by land.
"People want to see the lake during every season in Switzerland," he said.
He said that lake tourism has not been seriously tapped in Indonesia, even though it can attract many tourists.
"The lake was never promoted as a destination for foreign and domestic tourists in Indonesia. This is one of the changes needed," he said.
By optimizing the lakes as tourist destinations, efforts to revitalize, conserve and save the lakes will increase and all stakeholders will be encouraged to be involved.
According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia recorded 15.8 million foreign tourist arrivals throughout 2018. The number increased by 12.58 percent compared to the previous year.
The country welcomed 1.41 million foreign tourist arrivals in December 2018. It increased by 21.43 percent compared to the previous month.
The room occupancy rate of star classification hotels in Indonesia reached an average of 59.75 percent in December 2018. It decreased by 0.44 percentage point compared to the previous month.
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