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Wakatobi to lure tourists with marine tourism
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Colorful corals compete for space to grow on a shallow reef in Wakatobi National Park in Southeast Sulawesi. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Tourism Ministry is set engage a focus group in mid-May this year to discuss marine tourism in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.
The event aims to map the target market for Wakatobi so that all tourism and hospitality operators in the regency can be well informed about the tourists expected to come to Wakatobi.
Read also: Preserving Karia'a tradition in Wakatobi
Wakatobi consists of four islands, namely Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko. It has the highest number of reef and fish species in the world, as well as the largest barrier reefs in Indonesia, second in the world only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Read also: Five destinations in Indonesia to visit this year
The focus group discussion is part of a string of such events about the marine tourism markets for the government's 10 prioritized tourist destinations. Seven places on the list have been dubbed marine tourist destinations, namely Wakatobi, Tanjung Kelayang, Thousand Islands, Tanjung Lesung, Mandalika Lombok, Labuan Bajo and Morotai.
“We’re going to make market projections for 2017 and 2018 on the seven provinces that serve as marine tourist destinations in a quantitative and qualitative way,” said the ministry's archipelago tourism marketing development deputy, Esthy Reko Astuti. (kes)
