T

he Komodo National Park now ranks eighth in Group E (for forests, national parks and nature reserves), after more than 3,000 Indonesians voted online Sunday for the park to become one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN).

During a road show in Bandung, West Java, to campaign for the park, at least 3,076 people in the city voted online for it to be recognized as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world.

These votes increased the ranking of the park, located in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), to eighth on the list of 56 nominees across the globe, the culture and tourism ministry's director general of marketing, Sapta Nirwandar said in Bandung.

The support from Bandung, he hoped, would increase after the road show on Monday, when the status of the Komodo park's ranking will be made known to the public.

Sapta said by July 7 this year, the park must be second on the list in Group E in order to contest the final round of the competition, sponsored by the New Open World Foundation.

"If it wins as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, it will be a good boost for Indonesia's image as an international tourist destination," he told a press conference during the road show.

The Sunday event featured a music concert in the Cihampeulas area to lure young voters. The campaign started on June 15, 2009, with the ministry opening the online voting booth and offering souvenirs and door prizes for visitors.

Sapta said the government is targeting an additional 20,000 votes for the Komodo park to add to the 10,000 votes collected since January this year.

From Bandung, the ministry will take the road show to Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makassar and Medan.