TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno on Friday swam several yards in tandem with West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Zulkieflimnsyah from their boat to the Gili Trawangan Beach which the minister said is to symbolize their support on the region’s successful fight against Covid-19.

The Gili Trawangan has recorded zero new coronavirus cases and is currently classified as a ‘green zone.’ Due to this fact, Uno said the tourism ministry is preparing a number of programs that are hoped to spark the return of the tourism industry in the region.

Uno went to Instagram to comment about his experience visiting the sandy beaches fringed with palm trees “To show our support, myself and the governor took a dive there,” he wrote in his Instagram post on May 7.

The first program he said will be implemented involves offering attractive tourism agendas mainly to draw domestic tourists and another plan is to offer tourists with a travel pattern that connects green zone tourism sites such as between Sanur in Bali with Gili Islands in Lombok.

During his two-day visit in NTB from Thursday and Friday, Sandiaga Uno also visited the Mandalika Tourism Special Economic Zone located in Central Lombok and stayed at Sembalun in the Rinjani mountain slopes in East Lombok.

He assures that the construction of the Mandalika - slated to host international-scale autosport events such as the World Superbike and MotoGP races in the future - has met numerous legal aspects.

Read: Sandiaga Uno to Open Gili Trawangan for Tourists

SUPRIYANTHO KHAFID (CONTRIBUTOR)