Tourism Expert Comments on Govt's Plan to Develop New Capital Like Bali
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12 June 2023 13:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesia Tourism Scholars Association (ICPI) expert Azril Azahari stated that the new capital area in East Kalimantan has different characteristics from Bali. He made the statement in response to the government’s plans for the development of the new capital city or IKN Nusantara’s tourism and the local economy.
“The land in Kalimantan is very marginal because there is a lot of peat soil. But God provides a natural balance with tropical forests whose flora and fauna can live on this marginal land,” Azril told Tempo on Monday, June 12, 2023.
Thus he opined that tourism development in IKN must coexist and be friendly with nature. The concept could be health tourism which consists of medical tourism, rehabilitation tourism, wellness tourism, and elderly or geronto tourism. “Use the tropical forest for green healing and blue healing,” he added.
Besides, the local wisdom of the Dayak people, one of the country’s indigenous communities, can lure tourists. This means, Azril emphasized that IKN has exceptional charms in the form of uniqueness, exotic, and authenticity that cannot be compared to Bali.
“All of that is incomparable, as long as the environment and ecology, forests and soil are preserved,” he said. “If we don't manage nature wisely, disaster will befall our children and grandchildren.”
As previously reported, the IKN Authority Deputy for Social, Cultural, and Community Empowerment Alimuddin stated that he is ready to develop tourism and the economy of the new capital by learning from Bali's experience.
“We want to create IKN as a lovable city. For that, of course, pleasant services must be provided, especially in the tourism sector,” Alimuddin said in a statement in Jakarta, Sunday, June 11, 2023. He hoped that the experience of developing tourism in Bali can be adapted to the new capital development.
RIRI RAHAYU | ANTARA
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