TEMPO.CO, Bandung - Indonesian Special Evoy for Middle East and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Alwi Shihab, said a number of wealthy countries in the Middle East have had its eye on beaches in Indonesia that are known for its natural beauty.
Those wealthy countries in the Middle East intend to create a larger, more exclusive and luxurious resort to compete with Maldives that is known throughout the globe for the beauty of its beach.
“Many Middle East countries want to make bigger beach than in Maldives, but it was hard for them seeking land up to 300 hectares,” Alwi Shihab said in Aston Braga Hotel, Bandung, on Thursday, January 28, 2016.
Alwi explained that investors from Middle East want a beach that has easy access. One that has attracted them is Pelabuhan Ratu in Sukabumi, West Java. “They prefer beaches with mountains and not far from Jakarta. We suggest Sukabumi as its location,” he said.
However, as lands are harder to acquire in the area of Pelabuhan Ratu, there are several other locations suggested that are quite far from Jakarta, even outside of Java Island including Tanjung Lesung, Belitung, Padang, Selayar and Lombok.
The Middle East countries that are interested to invest in the project mostly came from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) including United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “Saudi Arabia invests in Maldives,” said Alwi.
One of the reasons why middle east countries chose to invest in Indonesian tourism is because Indonesia is a country where the Arabian travelers can comfortably visit following the issue of Islamophobia in Western Countries. “Moreover, Indonesia is a muslim majority country, but the fact is we’re not yet ready for that,” Alwi added.
PUTRA PRIMA PERDANA