Jakarta - "Sail Indonesia" has been listed as an annual yacht event since 2003 but it is more than just an exclusive chance for skippers from various parts of the world to enjoy the beauty of the Indonesian archipelago.
Sail Indonesia, which offers these rich and adventurous sailors the true Indonesian experience, is also viewed as a rare chance for lots of ordinary Indonesians living in coastal towns and villages to have direct contact with foreigners and promote their hometowns to the outside world.
The presence of hundreds of international sailors on board of more than a hundred yachts in the eastern and western coastal areas of Indonesia each year has provided a golden opportunity to the governments and people of those regions to enjoy the great economic benefits caused by the international seamen.
According to Raymond T.Lesmana of the Indonesian Love Maritime Foundation (YCBI), the economic benefits that could be enjoyed by the local governments and people, whose areas were visited by the participating yachts, may reach three billion rupiah.
His estimates were based on the outcome of a survey that the YCBI had conducted. Lesmana said every crew member of Sail Indonesia`s participating yachts spent about US$1,000 per month.
If there were a hundred yachts with at least three crew members joining this event, the economic benefit that could be gained could be may reach about 300,000 US dollars, or almost three billion rupiah, he said.
The real economic benefit that the local people and business communities can enjoy through business products as services, handicrafts, food and beverages that they offer to the yacht crew members is just one side of a coin.
Through the sailors, local governments can also get free promotion of their respective areas` tourism and investment potentials.
The economic opportunities that Sail Indonesia offered had, for instance, been taken seriously by Head of Belitung regency, Darmansyah Husein, when his district was visited by the participating sailors three years ago.
In a phone interview from Darwin, Husein told ANTARA that he and his people regarded the presence of skippers and crew members of 127 yachts in the 2007 Sail Indonesia in Belitung regency, Bangka Belitung Province, as a "rare opportunity".
"I see this yacht event is different from others. The sailors have direct contacts with local people. Due to the fact that Belitung is relatively new to them, their visit is a free promotion for us to the world," he said.
As part of the promotion strategies and ways to welcome the sailors, local governments do not only organize communal festivities and cultural events but also provide their guests with tourism and investment booklets.
Through this annual yacht event, Indonesia is expected to remain in the route map of international sailors as one of the secure marine tourism destinations.
Over the past years, the Sail Indonesia`s participating international yachts start sailing to the Indonesian waters from Darwin, the capital of Australian state of Northern Territory.
Banda: first destination
As explained in the Sail Indonesia committee`s official website, this year, the first destination is Banda Islands. From the island, which is 500 miles away from north of Darwin, the sailors will be entertained by a series of events, centered in Maluku and its capital city Ambon.
Putting Banda in the Sail Indonesia`s focused destination is the continuation of last year`s program. At that time, the Indonesian government attempted to focus on Bunaken so that the Sail Indonesia chose Sail Bunaken as its official partner. This year, its official partner is called "Sail Banda".
With regard to this focused program, the sailors are scheduled to leave Darwin on July 24 at 11 am for Banda Sail to enjoy the peak event on August 3.
At the different stopovers across the Indonesian islands of Timor, Banda, Ambon, Buton,
Lembata, Wakatobi, Flores, Sulawesi, Bali, Java, Borneo, Belitung and finally Batam or Bintan, they will also be welcomed with a series of cultural festivals.
After visiting all targeted Indonesian islands, they will continue their voyage to Singapore and Malaysia.
About the total budget of this year`s Sail Indonesia featuring the beauty of Banda Islands, Director General of Marine Resources and Fishery Surveillance Aji Sularso recently said that it would reach at least Rp40 billions.
The funds came from the Maluku provincial government, the marine and fishery ministry and coordinating ministry for social welfare. The fund totaling Rp12 billions (US$1=Rp9,420) that Maluku government had pledged would be used to provide needed facilities.
The marine and fishery ministry and the coordinating ministry for social welfare had respectively allocated Rp9.5 billion and more than Rp20 billion.
The funds would be used for supporting various events and financing social activities involving local people, and fueling the Indonesian navy`s hospital ship, KRI Dr.Suharso, Aji Sularso said.
As of April 9, the Sail Indonesia committee have registered at least 80 yachts coming from various industrialized countries in the list of confirmed entries.
Among them are from the United States of America, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
Through the mouths of these international skippers and crew members, the beauty, cultural uniqueness, and economic potentials of Banda and other Indonesian islands are expected to be promoted to the world.
But whether or not this expectation can be realized depends on the way the central and local governments and people from the destination areas to run this event and treat their guests. (Rahmad Nasution)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com
Sail Indonesia, which offers these rich and adventurous sailors the true Indonesian experience, is also viewed as a rare chance for lots of ordinary Indonesians living in coastal towns and villages to have direct contact with foreigners and promote their hometowns to the outside world.
The presence of hundreds of international sailors on board of more than a hundred yachts in the eastern and western coastal areas of Indonesia each year has provided a golden opportunity to the governments and people of those regions to enjoy the great economic benefits caused by the international seamen.
According to Raymond T.Lesmana of the Indonesian Love Maritime Foundation (YCBI), the economic benefits that could be enjoyed by the local governments and people, whose areas were visited by the participating yachts, may reach three billion rupiah.
His estimates were based on the outcome of a survey that the YCBI had conducted. Lesmana said every crew member of Sail Indonesia`s participating yachts spent about US$1,000 per month.
If there were a hundred yachts with at least three crew members joining this event, the economic benefit that could be gained could be may reach about 300,000 US dollars, or almost three billion rupiah, he said.
The real economic benefit that the local people and business communities can enjoy through business products as services, handicrafts, food and beverages that they offer to the yacht crew members is just one side of a coin.
Through the sailors, local governments can also get free promotion of their respective areas` tourism and investment potentials.
The economic opportunities that Sail Indonesia offered had, for instance, been taken seriously by Head of Belitung regency, Darmansyah Husein, when his district was visited by the participating sailors three years ago.
In a phone interview from Darwin, Husein told ANTARA that he and his people regarded the presence of skippers and crew members of 127 yachts in the 2007 Sail Indonesia in Belitung regency, Bangka Belitung Province, as a "rare opportunity".
"I see this yacht event is different from others. The sailors have direct contacts with local people. Due to the fact that Belitung is relatively new to them, their visit is a free promotion for us to the world," he said.
As part of the promotion strategies and ways to welcome the sailors, local governments do not only organize communal festivities and cultural events but also provide their guests with tourism and investment booklets.
Through this annual yacht event, Indonesia is expected to remain in the route map of international sailors as one of the secure marine tourism destinations.
Over the past years, the Sail Indonesia`s participating international yachts start sailing to the Indonesian waters from Darwin, the capital of Australian state of Northern Territory.
Banda: first destination
As explained in the Sail Indonesia committee`s official website, this year, the first destination is Banda Islands. From the island, which is 500 miles away from north of Darwin, the sailors will be entertained by a series of events, centered in Maluku and its capital city Ambon.
Putting Banda in the Sail Indonesia`s focused destination is the continuation of last year`s program. At that time, the Indonesian government attempted to focus on Bunaken so that the Sail Indonesia chose Sail Bunaken as its official partner. This year, its official partner is called "Sail Banda".
With regard to this focused program, the sailors are scheduled to leave Darwin on July 24 at 11 am for Banda Sail to enjoy the peak event on August 3.
At the different stopovers across the Indonesian islands of Timor, Banda, Ambon, Buton,
Lembata, Wakatobi, Flores, Sulawesi, Bali, Java, Borneo, Belitung and finally Batam or Bintan, they will also be welcomed with a series of cultural festivals.
After visiting all targeted Indonesian islands, they will continue their voyage to Singapore and Malaysia.
About the total budget of this year`s Sail Indonesia featuring the beauty of Banda Islands, Director General of Marine Resources and Fishery Surveillance Aji Sularso recently said that it would reach at least Rp40 billions.
The funds came from the Maluku provincial government, the marine and fishery ministry and coordinating ministry for social welfare. The fund totaling Rp12 billions (US$1=Rp9,420) that Maluku government had pledged would be used to provide needed facilities.
The marine and fishery ministry and the coordinating ministry for social welfare had respectively allocated Rp9.5 billion and more than Rp20 billion.
The funds would be used for supporting various events and financing social activities involving local people, and fueling the Indonesian navy`s hospital ship, KRI Dr.Suharso, Aji Sularso said.
As of April 9, the Sail Indonesia committee have registered at least 80 yachts coming from various industrialized countries in the list of confirmed entries.
Among them are from the United States of America, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
Through the mouths of these international skippers and crew members, the beauty, cultural uniqueness, and economic potentials of Banda and other Indonesian islands are expected to be promoted to the world.
But whether or not this expectation can be realized depends on the way the central and local governments and people from the destination areas to run this event and treat their guests. (Rahmad Nasution)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com
