by Reinhard Hohler, Chiang Mai
During the annual Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) 2012 at Graha Wangsa, Bandar Lampung , it became absolutely obvious that the large “Sunda” Island of Sumatra is a new hot travel destination in the making.
The official opening ceremony of TIME 2012 was attended by the Vice Governor of Lampung Province, Joko Umar Said, together with the Director of Domestic Promotion, M. Faried Moertolo, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia. At the welcoming gala dinner within the ballroom of the Novotel Lampung, both speakers stressed that Lampung at the southern end of the island of Sumatra has the potential to be a global destination, particularly for special interest groups, if supported with a sound infrastructure, including transport, accessibility and a newly built international airport.
Actually, Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung Province, is located at a strategic location facing the Krakatau Volcano in the Sunda Strait towards Java. It is only a mere 40-minute flight from Jakarta by the carrier Garuda Indonesia amongst others to the old domestic airport of Bandara Radin Intan II. The policy of the Lampung Government Office is to speed up the development and improvement of infrastructure, tourism facilities and attractions in the region, so that at the end the whole province will establish itself as an international travel destination.
Lampung Province possesses the following outstanding cultural and natural tourist attractions (in alphabetical order):
Anak Krakatau: Being an active volcano, the adventurous site is perfect for study geology and volcanic processes – some 400 meters high.
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park: Best to see flora and fauna of tropical rainforest, characterized by the world tallest flower (Amorphopallus), wild, orchid, rattan, Sumatran rhinoceros, elephant, tiger, tapir, deer, wild buffalo, wild goat, gibbon, python etc.
Kiluan Bay: It is an important eco-tourism site especially for watching dolphins. Also, it is an area, where sea turtles lay eggs. Good for diving and fishing.
Museum Lampung: It is located five kilometers out of town on the way to the airport and houses a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, pottery, stone ware, porcelain, jars, weapons, classical Hindu-Buddhist objects, bronzes and megalithic monuments, stone-age tools etc. The second floor is for textiles.
Siger Tower: This is a landmark built on a hill near Port Bakauheni to reflect Lampung’s identity. It is here that the Trans-Sumatra-Highway leads you all the way to the extreme north of the island, a distance of about 2,200 kilometers.
Tanjung Setia Beach: Directly facing the Indian Ocean, the beach offers waves that reach a height of four meters and length of 200 meters. Therefore, it is one of Indonesia’s best surfing sites.
Way Kambas National Park: It is a nature reserve in the east of the province, including an elephant training center and the Sumatra Rhino Sanctuary (SRS).
Browsing through the 60 booths at the Graha Wangsa exhibition hall, there were also offered fascinating tourism products of various other provinces in Indonesia, such as West and North Sumatra, Palembang, Banten, Central Java, Bali, Flores, Southeast Sulawesi as well as East Kalimantan amongst others.
TIME 2012 was a successful event as usual to meet all of “Wonderful Indonesia” under one roof. Most of the delegates are looking forward to attend TIME 2013 that will be scheduled to be next October at the Grand Inna Muara Hotel & Convention Center in Padang, West Sumatra.
