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Sail Moyo Tambora 2018 to highlight West Nusa Tenggara tourism
The events of Sail Moyo Tambora 2018, which is to proceed as scheduled, have been adjusted to include a fundraiser for the victims of the Lombok earthquake.
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Blue seas surround Moyo Island in West Nusa Tenggara. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Sail Moyo Tambora 2018 is to proceed according to schedule from Sept. 9 to 23 in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the Transportation Ministry has announced, in its capacity of managing the sailing event under Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.
"The 2018 Sail Moyo Tambora will be held according to schedule. This marks a spirit to revive NTB's tourism sector after the earthquake [disaster]," the ministry's sea transportation secretary Arif Toha Tjahjagama said on Aug. 29 during a coordination meeting in Mataram, the province's capital city. He was referring to the earthquakes that struck Lombok and Sumbawa in early August.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has reportedly visited Sumbawa's Badas Port, the event's host port.
Sail Moyo Tambora 2018 is part of Sail Indonesia, an annual rally that usually departs from Darwin to Indonesia and visits several ports across the archipelago.
Read also: Sail Moyo Tambora 2018 to be launched in Jakarta
This year's rally, which is highlighting Sail Moyo Tambora after previously promoting the Sabang, Karimata and Bunaken legs, expects hundreds of yachts from around the world to participate as they depart from two locations: Darwin, Australia, and Singapore.
The yachts are to gather in early September in the Labuan Bajo area of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, and then sail together to Badas Port, where Sail Moyo Tambora 2018 opens on Sept. 9.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and First Lady Iriana Jokowi are expected to attend the opening ceremony, when they would symbolically plant seeds of the kelincungand gaharu (agarwood), endemic tree species of the region.
NTB Tourism Agency head Lalu Mohammad Faozal said around 140 yachts were expected to sail the Moyo Tambora route this year. With each yacht carrying a crew of two to four sailors, the province was looking at welcoming around 500 foreign visitors during the event.
"The peak of the event will be held at Badas Port, Sumbawa, on Sept. 9. [...] around 140 yachts from more than 35 countries will sail through our waters, especially in Sumbawa," said Lalu, and that the event aimed to promote the marine ecology of Sumbawa Island and NTB.
Lalu said the five regencies of Sumbawa, West Sumbawa, Dompu and Bima and the city of Bima on Sumbawa Island would take part in promoting their local tourism.
He added that some of the event's activities were being adjusted following the recent earthquakes, including community service and fundraising events for the disaster victims.
The event's stopovers include the Medana Resort Yacht Port in Medana village, North Lombok, where the yachts were expected to call in mid-September.
A few days were allowed for yacht crews to explore each stopover, which was expected to boost the local tourism as well as economy. (kes)
