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Toraja to be next top-priority tourist destination
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Traditional houses in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, with decorated facades and boat-shaped roofs. (Shutterstock/File)
The government has chosen Toraja in South Sulawesi as the latest emerging tourism location to be developed.
It has established a tourist destination development acceleration team to set up plans for Toraja.
"The special team in this initial phase will focus on the identification of infrastructure development, especially construction of the airport in Toraja to provide accessibility," the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry’s Safri Burhanuddin said in an official statement.
The projects include the renovation of the existing Pongtiku Airport in Toraja and the construction of the new Buntu Kuni Airport. The airport is seen as important as the trip from Makassar to Toraja can take around nine hours.
(Read also: Locals, runners to promote Toraja through marathon)
The decision was reached after the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry held a meeting with the South Sulawesi and Toraja administrations to follow up on Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s instruction to develop the tourist destination.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry expert on tourism Maesita said the master plan for Toraja’s development would also be drafted with the World Bank.
The government is currently drafting master plans for three emerging destinations, Borobudur in Central Java, Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, funded by the World Bank.
The World Bank is expected to disburse around US$300 million for infrastructure development in the tourist destinations. (bbn)
