Vice Chairman of the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia) for Banking and
Financial Affairs, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, believed that East Nusa Tenggara
(NTT) province needs to spur economic growth by making tourism as an economic powerhouse.
Tourism sector, especially marine resource of NTT, is very rich and unique.
“NTT is not only interesting in terms of maritime potential, but also the
beauty of the beaches and a wealth of fisheries, including the potential of the
sea which is very rich and beautiful. NTT underwater world beauty with Labuan
Bajo can actually be equated with Raja Ampat in Papua. Unfortunately, what is
in NTT has not been managed properly, he said in Jakarta, on Monday (June 29),
after visiting Kupang, NTT.
Tourism development has a multiplier
effect, both for development or management of regional treasury and to support
the economy of the people directly. In addition, the development of tourism
sector is economically cheaper than the industrial sector, which requires more
investment touch. Apart from that, the development stage also requires external
factors and takes place in along term.
“To build an industry, especially in
the manufacturing sector, it takes time a large budget. But when the tourism
sector is already available and has become ours, just consider how to prepare
the supporting infrastructures and manage them well, “he said. he also reminded
that based on government projections, in 2019 the tourism sector will be the
largest source of foreign exchange.
Revenues from domestic and foreign
tourists need to e targeted by government and private sectors in the province.
Tourism supporting infrastructure also needs to be built. One is to provide
International standard port that can be harbored by cruise ships from abroad.
“For example, in Labuan Bajo. There is a cruise ship carrying 2,000 tourist
from Europe. Unfortunately, they stay on board and use a lifeboat from the ship
to do diving activities. That means that their presence does not add value to
the surrounding community, as well as revenue for the local government, “he
said.
The opinion was confirmed by an
economist who is also Chairman of LP3E (Institute for Economic Research and
Development (LP3E) of KADIN Indonesia, Didik J Rachbini. According to Didik,
tourism could become a mainstay of the development of NTT. The problem is that
the awareness to develop the tourism sector has not been fully owned by the
stakeholders, including the community in NTT.
“Tourism can be a leading sector in
the province. Unfortunately, we often forget our own advantages. He also
advised stakeholders in the province, public and private, to be more active in
lobbying the central government to obtain a sufficient budget for tourism
development. He cited a lobby that he made when building Suramadu
(Surabaya-Madura) bridge. “We are aware that if Surabaya and Madura are
connected by a bridge, the economic effects of Surabaya will reach Madura.
Therefore we struggled to obtain budget for the construction of Suramadu
bridge, “he said.
Challenges for
Infrastructure and Industry in NTT
Chairman of KADIN NTT, Abraham Paul
Liyan to, saw that infrastructure and industry as a particular challenge in
development in NTT. The potential of the leading sectors is not explored to the
fullest due to the unconduciveness of supporting facilities. For this reason,
KADIN NTT present sectoral stakeholders at national and regional levels, to
observe directly and discuss the development needs in the province. “We need to
get a solution and consideration of the issues in NTT, such as infrastructure,
tourism, marine and fisheries industry,” said Paul.
In addition, the challenges ahead of
the implementation of AEC 2015 in December, according to him, can generate
special problems for local SMEs. According to him, many local SMEs in the field
of fisheries, maritime, and tourism are very potential to advance to a higher
level. “Because of the presence of foreign investors in the AEC 2015 should be
anticipates. Central and local government should provide a solution for them,”
he said. (E)
Business News - July 3, 2015
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