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Indonesia to attract tourists with game fishing tournaments
The Tourism Ministry is inviting global anglers to three international fishing tournaments and festivals (IIFT/F) to boost tourist arrivals toward its 2019 target of 20 million foreign tourists.
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Traders display a variety of fishing equipment near a popular North Jakarta fishing area in this undated photograph. (kontan.co.id/Fransiskus Simbolon)
T
he Tourism Ministry is inviting global anglers to three events in the Indonesia International Fishing Tournaments/Festivals (IIFT/F) to boost tourist arrivals toward its 2019 target of 20 million foreign tourists.
The events are to be held in the Central Sulawesi regencies of Banggai and Banggai Laut, and on Belitung Island in Bangka Belitung Islands province.
The Nusantara Fishing Tourism, hosted by Banggai Islands regency, run from Dec. 8 to 9. The schedules for the two other IIFT/F events have not been announced.
“We want to increase foreign exchange inflow from fishing tourists, who spend seven times higher than the average tourist,” the ministry's head of accelerated maritime tourism development, Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo, said in a press statement on Friday.
“As an initial step, we have organized three international fishing tournaments,” he said.
Meanwhile, Banggai Regent Herwin Yatim said that Nusantara Fishing Tourism had invited 60 foreign sport fishing boats to the event, which would take place at S1 33.302 and E122 38.512 in the waters off the peninsular regency.
Herwin said the marine area would be promoted as a fishing destination.
Indonesia also held a similar event in October last year, the Widi International Fishing Tournament (WIFT) 2017 on Widi Island in South Halmahera regency, North Maluku. WIFT 2017 met the international game fishing guidelines of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and The Billfish Foundation. (bbn)
