TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Holding a huge appeal for international tourists, the Indonesian province of Lampung is intensively promoting its tourism sector to help achieve sustainable development and to reduce poverty.
The province is endowed with several natural and marine tourist attractions with many white sandy beaches, pristine waterfalls, lush nature preserves, and much more for both local and international tourists to enjoy.
Among many districts in the province, East Lampung is a rich, beautiful and interesting area with friendly people and a lot of tourist attractions.
Attempting to attract even more tourists, the district government, through the local Culture and Tourism Office, is making every effort to develop numerous natural, marine and cultural tourist attractions.
The many tourist attractions in East Lampung include the Way Kambas National Park, Pugung Raharjo Archaeological Park, Kerang Mas beach, Lake Kemuning, Lake Beringin, agro tourism and cultural tourism.
East Lampung Culture and Tourism Office Chief Mastur remarked that among these tourist attractions, Kerang Mas beach in Labuhan Maringgai is now being developed.
Once this beach development is completed, Lake Kemuning and Lake Beringin will also be developed in stages in an effort to attract 250 thousand tourists to East Lampung in 2016.
Lampung province has 64 waterfalls, numerous small, beautiful islands, and seven leading tourist areas where supporting infrastructure facilities are being improved.
The seven leading tourist areas are the Waikambas National Park; South Bukit Barisan National Park; Kiluan Bay; Tanjung Setia and Krui Marine Tourism; Siger Tower; Mount Anak Krakatau and Sebesi Island; and Bandarlampung Tourism Area.
The Elephant Rehabilitation Center in Way Kambas National Park, where wild, rampaging elephants are domesticated and taught useful skills, also offers a special attraction for visitors.
The several bird-watching locations boast of the presence of the rare white-winged wood duck. The Way Kambas National Park is home to critically endangered species, such as Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran rhinoceroses.
With swamp forest, lowland rainforest, mangrove forest and dry beach forest, along with expanses of grasslands, this national park is an ideal habitat for thousands of different species and offers several opportunities for visitors to experience some of Indonesias most diverse wildlife.
Hence, Way Kambas is being developed into a national and international tourist destination.
The Way Kambas National Park is an icon of the East Lampung District and is well known, both in the country and abroad.
The Great Hall of the Way Kambas National Park is also drafting a strategy to use trained domesticated elephants in the Elephant Conservation Center as a tourist attraction.
However, the parks management is waiting for the governments guidelines on the use of the Elephant Conservation Center as a tourist destination.
The management is still awaiting an approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry on using elephants to entertain visitors.
The Way Kambas National Park Great Hall is currently formulating a plan to develop an ecotourism village as a secondary destination for visitors.
According to Lampung Deputy Governor Bachtiar Basri, the development of the tourism sector in the province is directed at expanding ecosystem-based marine tourism and preserving nature.
The deputy governor emphasized that roads and transportation facilities, electricity, and security arrangements must be improved, so tourists visiting these spots can enjoy their stay and feel at home.
Lampung is well-known across the world for its Krakatau island volcano, one of the most intriguing sites globally; and for its agricultural commodities, such as pepper and coffee.
Given its central location, the Krakatau islands are accessible both from Jakarta through the province of Banten, and from Bandarlampung, the capital of Lampung.
The Krakatau islands comprise three small and scenic islands: Rakata, Panjang and Serdang.
Shaped in different ways by the impact and eruption of the Krakatau volcano eons ago, the beaches of Merak Belantung, Pasir Putih, and a tourist resort near the Lalaan waterfall, besides Mount Rajabasa, should also be on every visitors travel itinerary.
In addition, numerous tourist spots in Lampung Barat district are being readied to cater to as many local and foreign tourists as possible this year.
The Lampung Barat district government has always welcomed tourists, but this year, it has made additional efforts to attract even more domestic and foreign travelers.
In a bid to make vacationers feel at home, several tourist spots in Lampung Barat have hired additional workers to render optimum services, to offer a sense of comfort, and to ensure the security of visitors.
The tourist attractions in Lampung Barat also include the Tanjung Setia Beach in the Pesisir Selatan Sub-district. It offers natural panoramic views and challenging waves that are ideal for surfing.
The cool and crystal clear waters of Tanjung Setia also draw foreign holidaymakers.
Besides Tanjung Setia, Lampung Barat also has other tourist spots worth exploring, such as the Labuhan Jakung Beach, Pulau Pisang, Lake Ranau, the Way Besai rafting resort, and the Sekura Cakak Buah cultural festival.
In addition, the district offers white water rafting for both domestic and foreign tourists.
Lampung Barat has a river that offers opportunities for rafting, and therefore, it is ideal for both domestic and foreign tourists, who love water sports.
The swirling currents in the river hold special attraction for tourists, who want to test their courage by going surfing.
ANTARA
