When the government named Likupang in North Sulawesi as one of Indonesia’s top-five new tourist destinations, many eyebrows were raised with people asking, “Where?”

Likupang was listed along with four more popular destinations in the government’s so-called “five super-priority tourist destinations” in Indonesia, namely Borobudur in Central Java, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara and Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo came up with the idea of promoting “new Balis” in Indonesia in order to boost tourism's contribution to the national economy, with an original target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists by 2019. Foreign tourist numbers amounted to around 13.6 million up to October this year.

For that reason, the Tourism Ministry has been investing its human and financial resources in promoting the new Balis, especially the five super-priority destinations. However, for most of the journalists and travel bloggers invited by the Tourism Ministry on a trip to find out more about Likupang, which The Jakarta Post joined in November, it was a first-time visit.

Likupang is located in the northernmost tip of Sulawesi, a two-hour drive from Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi. Surrounded by the sea and several smaller islands, Likupang is notable for its beach and marine tourism.

Ecotourism potential

Local authorities are painting a rosy picture of the prospects of Likupang as a “beautiful” diving and snorkeling haven with pristine and scenic beaches that will qualify as world-class ecotourism destinations.

“We do not want our tourism to be identified only with Bunaken because we actually have tourist spots with more beautiful views, we have the most beautiful diving spots in the world. We have Likupang, we have Lembeh Island [in Bitung District],” Deputy North Sulawesi Governor Steven Octavianus Estefanus Kandow said on Nov. 29.

“In the future, we want Likupang to be an ecotourism-based destination.”

Likupang would be most suitable for marine tourism, said head of North Minahasa Tourism Agency Audy F. Sambul. It has neighboring islands with small, pristine, white-sand beaches such as Lihaga, Gangga and Bangka and is surrounded by many diving spots. Likupang itself has several beaches, such as Paal and Pulisan.

“We have diving spots in almost every village with a beach,” said Audy. “Around Bangka and Gangga Island, for example, there are so many diving spots that are surrounded by beautiful coral just like in Bunaken.”

There are eight resorts in Bangka Island and two in Gangga Island, which are popular destinations for European divers. Foreign tourist visits to Likupang have been consistently rising, from only 17,279 foreign tourists in 2014 to 122,101 in 2018.

“We also have the Bahoi tourism village, which is an ecotourism village with homestays, mangroves and diving spots. We are currently also developing Sarawet village where there will be a mangrove forest,” Audy said.

World-class tourist destination

To make Likupang a world-class tourist destination, the government will develop a special economic zone (SEZ) called Tanjung Pulisan SEZ on a 374-hectare site at a cost of around Rp 11 trillion (US$786 million). Development will take 20 years from 2020 to 2040.

North Sulawesi Tourism Agency head Daniel Wewengkang said Tanjung Pulisan SEZ would have an international-standard yacht marina, resorts, hotels and villas, and retail and entertainment facilities.

Tanjung Pulisan SEZ is expected to have 7,430 resorts and hotel rooms with 1,313 rooms in villas. The SEZ will also have a waterpark, conservation resort, cultural villages and hot water springs.

The North Sulawesi regional administration has completed land procurement for the development of supporting infrastructure for Tanjung Pulisan, from inner roads and an artificial lake to a power plant, clean water, street lighting, waste management and telecommunications. The land clearance for these will cost almost Rp 40 billion.

“The feasibility study for infrastructure development has been finished as well. We are fully aware that tourism development must start with the spirit of the regional government itself,” said deputy governor Steven.

Empowering locals

Around the beaches in Likupang, small-scale business owners and local people interviewed by the Post appeared enthusiastic as the beaches are still managed traditionally by local residents.

In Paal and Pulisan beaches, tourism facilities and infrastructure such as electricity, telecommunications and sanitation remain limited, although the plan is for Paal to have a waterpark, amphitheater and ranch for karapan sapi bull racing in 2020.

“In the tourism agency, we want to prepare [local] people, so currently, we are publicizing the importance of tourism, as well as training programs such as workshops about homestay management, tour guides and Chinese- and English-language instruction,” said Audy.

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