AIS Summit impetus for Jakarta to develop Seribu Islands: Hartono
Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – The 2023 Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum could serve as a momentum for Jakarta to develop Seribu Islands as a model archipelagic tourist destination, acting Jakarta governor, Heru Budi Hartono, has said.
Indonesia is scheduled to host the 2023 AIS Forum Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali province, on October 10 and 11. The summit is expected to bring together 25 heads of state/government who will discuss maritime spatial plans in archipelagic regions.
“Yes, we all (the Jakarta provincial government) support it (the summit),” Hartono affirmed after reviewing the “2023 Jakarta Innovation Days” event at Jakarta Town Hall on Monday.
Hartono said that his government will continue to make efforts to develop the tourism sector in Jakarta as a priority in the hopes of attracting more visitors to tourist destinations in the capital and increasing its locally generated income (PAD).
The acting governor then highlighted the provincial government’s efforts to develop Jakarta’s tourism sector, including collaborating with related institutions to increase the number and types of public transport as well as improving tourism facilities and infrastructure, such as those in Seribu Islands.
According to data from the Tourism and Creative Economy Office of Jakarta, the tourism sector of the capital contributed over Rp500 billion (US$42.4 million) to the city’s total PAD of Rp5.29 trillion (US$343.3 million) in 2022.
“Hopefully, those efforts will further increase it (the tourism sector’s contribution to PAD),” he said.
Earlier, Muhammad Taufik Zoelkifli, a member of the Jakarta Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), made a similar statement, saying that the upcoming AIS Forum Summit would serve as an impetus for Jakarta to enhance Seribu Islands’ tourism appeal.
He expressed optimism that by properly managing and optimizing Seribu Islands’ tourism potential, Jakarta will gain even higher tourism-generated profits, adding that the region could also become one of Jakarta’s economic foundations after the relocation of the national capital to East Kalimantan.