TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of West Java Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Deny Juanda Puradimaja, reveals plan to build Citarate Airport in the mission to boost popularity of Ciletuh geopark in Sukabumi as West Java’s tourism destination.
“Target is to make it ready for the visitors, we only have to meet the world’s tourism standard that is known as the Sixty Minutes Distance,” said Deny in Bandung.
According to Deny, the standard requires the tourist spot is accessible in 60 minutes travel from the nearest airport.
“Therefore we propose to open Citarate airport, and thus provides shuttle from Kertajati to Citarate because it is near and should be developed immediately,” Deny added.
In addition to the airport construction, which is said to be funded from the region’s 2015 Budget Amendment, the provincial government will also prepare system to control the geopark development.
“It must be controlled. Ciletuh has long been known but only to certain group of society,” Deny continued.
Head of West Java Transportation Agency, Dedi Taufik added that development will be performed in Ratu Harbor in Sukabumi as the alternative to access the geopark. Dedi said the harbor development is supported by both provincial government and the Ministry of Transportation. The ministry has allocated Rp30 billion for the harbor development.
AHMAD FIKRI