In 2017, the island expects to welcome 1.2 million tourists, representing around 30 percent of the total 4 million tourists that West Nusa Tenggara targets.

“If Sumbawa can bring in 30 percent from the total 4 million tourists despite the limited infrastructure, it would be good,” West Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Muhammad Amin told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Of the 4 million tourists, half of them are expected to come from overseas, thus helping West Nusa Tenggara contribute more than 10 percent to the government’s 15 million foreign tourist target this year.

The province recorded a little more than 3 million visitors last year, with 1.4 million visitors coming from abroad.

Most of the tourists visited Lombok, another island in West Nusa Tenggara that was named the world’s best halal tourist destination in 2015 in the World Halal Tourism Awards.

Amin said his administration hoped to see an equal distribution of tourists between Sumbawa and Lombok in the next few years.

Sumbawa is notable for its nature-rich and historical sites, such as Moyo Island with its marine life and Mount Tambora, an active stratovolcano that erupted more than two centuries ago and left a village buried under the ashes.

Tourists from European countries, the US and those fond of volcanology are among the targeted markets for the destinations.

However, similar to many other provinces, poor infrastructure remains a major obstacle to West Nusa Tenggara’s tourism goal.

For instance, the runway at Sultan Muhammad Salahudin Airport in Bima, Sumbawa, is only 1,650 meters long and suitable only for small aircraft, such as the twin-engine turboprop ATR 72-600.

“We need to extend the runway an additional 500 to 800 meters. The key [to successful tourism] is always accessibility,” Amin said.

As reported earlier, the government has made tourism one of the priority sectors to be developed during President Joko Widodo’s administration.

It has chosen 10 areas as emerging tourist destinations to complement the already famous Bali. Some of the emerging destinations include Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Mandalika, which is also in West Nusa Tenggara.

Indroyono Soesilo, honorary advisor to Tourism Minister, said that the problem with Sumbawa tourism was also a lack of promotion and dissemination of information about the area.

“Tambora is well-known. It just lacks branding and promotion,” he said.

The upcoming Tambora Festival and the Sail Sabang 2017 are expected to increase awareness about the area.

The government expects ships traveling in the Sail Sabang to make a stop in Sumbawa during their journey from Benoa in Bali to Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara.

Meanwhile, Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents (ASITA) chairman Asnawi Bahar acknowledged that Sumbawa’s nature spots had massive potential to attract foreign tourists.

“But the administration needs to combine them with sufficient facilities, so they will be more appealing,” he said.

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