TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Southeast Sulawesi Wakatobi Regent Hugua explained the tourism potential of Wakatobi at a meeting of United Cities and Local Governments-Asia Pacific/UCLG-ASPAC members in Jeju, South Korea.

Members of the UCLG-ASPAC want to know the location of Wakatobi tourism destination as the area has been set as the earth biosphere preservation by United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Hugua said through a phone call from Jeju on Monday, May 23, 2016.

Instead of bothering the safety of Wakatobi’s earth biosphere preservation, the establishment of Wakatobi as one of Indonesia’s 10 flagship tourism destinations will strengthen the earth biosphere preservation's position in Wakatobi.

“Tourism development does not take something from natural environment but preserving and conserving existing natural resources instead,” said Hugua.

Therefore, he is sure to not break the balance of nature in the earth biosphere preservation of Wakatobi in developing Indonesia’s tourism destination flagships in the area.

The government of Wakatobi District has been developing tourism and raked quite a significant local revenue of Rp16.6 billion in 2015.

At the same time, the preservation of Wakatobi’s undersea world – which is inhabited by 750 types of coral reefs, 946 types of fishes, and other various marine biotas – is still well-maintained.

“Local people still keep the preservation of the marine resources in Wakatobi as they truly realize that tourists will only visit Wakatobi if the preservation of the area is well-maintained,” said Hugua.

ANTARA