TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Tourism Ministry is coordinating with PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) to support the development of geothermal tourism in the operational areas of geothermal energy production.

The Tourism Ministry's Secretary Ukus Kuswara and President Director of PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Irfan Zainuddin have signed the MoU in the sideline of the Fourth National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of Tourism in Jakarta, Tuesday, December 6, 2016.

According to Irfan, Indonesia's geothermal resources have big potentials and could be one of the nation’s tourist destinations if it is well-managed.

“Indonesia, with its volcanoes and the geothermal areas, can potentially be a tourist attraction. However, the geothermal resources are only known as a source of green energy here, where it actually has a direct use in the tourism sector,” he said.

Irfan said several countries have adopted the utilization of geothermal operation area into tourist attractions, namely Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, and a number of European countries.

The PGE has started a geothermal tourism trial project in a village in Kamojang, West Java. Similar program will also be applied to other PGE operational areas, such as in Lahendong, North Sulawesi; and in Ulubelu, Lampung.

He surely hopes the MoU would support the development of geothermal tourism in various regions in Indonesia.

PGE has 12 geothermal operational areas with a total capacity of 532 MW which is produced from four areas in Kamojang (West Java), Ulubelu (Lampung), Lahendong (North Sulawesi), and Sibayak (North Sumatera).

BISNIS.COM