TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani promoted Indonesia’s current tourism project, 10 New Bali, during a seminar titled Role of Tourism for Sustainable Development in Fiji, Japan, Saturday, May 4.

The event was part of the 2019 annual meeting of Asia Development Bank or ADB.

“Indonesia government yearns to set Indonesia as a tourist destination, not only in Bali Island but also other sites,” said the minister as quoted from her Instagram account on Sunday, May 5.

Minister Sri explained 10 New Bali include Lake Toba in North Sumatra; Belitung in Bangka Belitung; Tanjung Lesung in Banten; Thousand Islands or Kepulauan Seribu in Jakarta; Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Mount Bromo in East Java; Mandalika Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara; Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara; Wakatobi National Park in Southeast Sulawesi; and Morotai Island in North Maluku.

Read: Sri Mulyani: Infrastructure is Key for Excellent Economic Growth

Before ADB President Takehiko Nakao, her Japanese counterpart Taro Aso, Italian Finance Ministry’s Director General of International Relations Gelsomina Vigliotti, her Fiji counterpart Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the former managing director of World Bank talked about challenges in generating the tourism project.

“The challenge is how we preserve the nature of a region so that many tourists would like to come by developing the human resources, cultures, local wisdom, and customs that cannot be imitated,” she added.

The tourism sector that was supported by cultural attractions, she continued, could develop alluring destination both for domestic and foreign tourists. Hence, the role of the government and locals was significant to maintain the balance between global standard and local wisdom.

“By introducing eco-friendly lifedata-style, the tourism program will be more sustainable,” Sri Mulyani concluded.

RINI KUSTIANI