Indonesia promotes underwater destinations in Oman

Indonesia promotes underwater destinations in Oman

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Dozens of buyers flocked to the Travel Gathering of Wonderful Indonesia event held on Oct. 3 at Sheraton Hotel, Muscat in Oman, including 74 visitors from 48 travel agents in the Middle East.

The event was also attended by Indonesian Ambassador for Oman, Musthofa Taufik Abdul Latif.

Four sellers from Indonesia also participated in the event, namely Astadala Tour, Tambatan Hati Tours, Go Indonesia Tours and Travel in Style.

“Alhamdulillah, this event resulted in plenty of business transactions and it gives us valuable input from Oman’s travel companies about new potential market segments such as family, newlyweds and young travelers who love sports and challenges,” said the sales director of Astadala Tour, Ameer Brontoari.

Ameer also said that Indonesia is a favorite destination among the people of Oman, especially during summer as they enjoy the lovely weather and friendliness of Indonesian people.

“This is an opportunity to promote new destinations and priority programs such as underwater tourism, adventurous and cultural activities and development of local economy. Some of the guests have shown interest in the underwater beauty of Indonesia with destinations include Bali, Komodo Island and Raja Ampat. This could be a favorite among the Middle Eastern people,” added Ameer.

According to Nour Aridi of Visit Indonesia Tourism Officer (VITO), other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Philippines are also currently promoting their underwater tourism and this is the right time for Indonesia to try to win over the Middle East market.

Tourism Ministry's deputy assistant for Europe, the United States, Middle East and Africa tourism promotion Nia Niscaya said that Indonesia has more than 700 diving and snorkeling spots with the popular ones are Sonegat, Keraka Island, Syahrir Batu Kapal Island, Hatta Island and Ai Island.

There are at least 20 diving spots available in Bunaken in North Sulawesi and Wakatobi National Park in Southeast Sulawesi, 88 spots in Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi and three spots in Weh Island in Aceh.

Diving spots can also be found in Labuan Bajo, Komodo Island, Cendrawasih bay, Raja Ampat and Rinca Island in East Nusa Tenggara. Moreover, Alor sea has up to 50 diving spots and Derawan hosts around 28 diving spots.

“Indonesia is an archipelago country consisting of more than 17,000 islands and is the center of the coral reef triangle,” said Nia.

Additionally, Dive Magazine publication has listed five underwater spots in Indonesia in its top world diving destinations 2017 list, namely Raja Ampat in Papua, Alor and Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Lembongan in Bali and Lembeh in North Sulawesi. (kes)

from: thejakartapost