Land Access to 'Raja Ampat of Sumatra' Mandeh Opened
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9 January 2019 20:09 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Public Works and Housing (PUPR) Ministry had completed the construction of 41.08-kilometer road access to the National Tourism Strategic Area (KSPN) Mandeh, Pesisir Selatan District, West Sumatra. Mandeh Island is renowned as Raja Ampat of Sumatra.
“The better access will support the public economy in the tourism area of Mandeh which is popular for its exotic islands and marine tourism,” said PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, as quoted from Antara on Wednesday, January 9.
The aerial view of tourism site Mandeh, West Sumatra. ANTARA
Tourist passing the road would witness wonderful scenery of the Indian Ocean since most of the roads are built at the edge of the sea. Previously, Mandeh tourism site could only be reached by boat due to a narrow and hilly road. The travel time to the region from Padang City is now recorded at around 1 to 1.5 hours.
The road construction for the access to Mandeh was one of the ministry programs to develop new tourism site in West Sumatra in a bid to meet the target of 20 million tourist arrival to Indonesia in 2019.
The tourism sector is one of the government’s programs to strengthen foreign exchange and boost the investment.
The road access to Mandeh would also improve the connectivity of many regions, such as Teluk Kabung – Sungai Pisang – Sungai Nyalo – Mandeh – Carocok – Tarusan.
ANTARA