This small island is famous for beaches, walks, fishing, boating and sightseeing, where the visitors will discover spectacular and unspoiled scenery and a relaxing, outdoor, rural and seaside experiences.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - In a leisurely less than two-hour drive the Bangka-Belitung (Babel) provincial city of Pangkalpinang, visitors to the Putri (Princes) Island will have a diverse range of tourism experiences.

Putri Island, situated a stone`s throw from the popular Penyusuk Beach in Belinyu, Bangka District, is noted for its variety of spectacular scenery enabling visitors to enjoy unspoiled sandy beaches and beautiful rock formation in close proximity.

This small island is famous for beaches, walks, fishing, boating and sightseeing, where the visitors will discover spectacular and unspoiled scenery and a relaxing, outdoor, rural and seaside experiences.

Putri Island is a delight for those who love the water with lots of opportunities for fishing, boating and swimming, or to get away from it all -- relax and unwind.

Unfortunately, public transportation does not serve the route to this destination yet, so the option left is either by private or rented car.

The island used to be connected to Penyusuk beach by a bridge but owing to less in maintenance, strong wind, and big wave, the bridge has now been in ruins.

So far, Putri Island is being developed by Belinyu tourism lovers in partnership with tin mining company PT Timah in Penyusuk village to increase tourist visits to that area.

They clean the island and surrounding sea from waste, either organic waste taken by the wave or trash dumped by those who do not understand nature-based tourism yet.

They also fix and maintain the facility, plant and deal with polluted reef because of mining activity and broken reef for being stepped on by careless visitors when snorkeling, and oversee activity endangering the ecosystem.

Local people are also educated to love and take care of the underwater lives, so the island will be more beautiful and worth visiting by both domestic and foreign tourists.

In addition, they continue to intensively promote the island, either through direct promotion, social media or photography.

Akli, spokesman of Belinyu tourism lovers, remarked that this year they get help from PT Timah to build the supporting facilities in Putri Island.

Assistance from PT Timah is the development of toilets, clean water facilities, cottage resorts and other supporting facilities to provide comfort for visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature and beaches on the island of Princess.

"So far, the toilet and clean water facilities are still inadequate, so the assistance from PT Timah will be useful for the progress of tourism in Putri Island," Akli remarked.

According to him, Putri Island is a new tourist destination in Bangka District, because it has uniqueness and panoramic coast and natural underwater beauty.

With the improvement of supporting facilities by PT Timah, it is expected that the number of local and foreign tourists visiting the island will continue to increase.

Situated near other other beautiful islands like Mentigi, Antu, and Lampu, the stunning Putri Island is popular to both domestic and foreign visitors.

Crystal clear seawater becomes the main attraction of Putri Island in Bangka District, and Ketawai Island in Central Bangka District, Babel Province.

Situated some 18 kilometers from Pangkalpinang, this uninhabited Ketawai island is known for its beaches and underwater landscape filled with sea grass and coral reefs.

Ketawai Island is one of the mainstay tourist destinations in Central Bangka and has become a favorite stopover point for yachts from various countries.

Foreign yachters who visit Ketawai always admire and love the beauty of this pristine and well-preserved island in Central Bangka district.

Both the local and foreign tourists who had visited Ketawai Island acknowledged that it is an ideal location for swimming, diving, and snorkeling, but it still needs adequate facilities and infrastructure.

The beauty of Ketawai Island is not inferior to other islands in Indonesia, as it has tremendous tourism potential. Therefore, the facilities and infrastructure there must be improved.

Some foreign visitors to Ketawai Island admitted that the

waters around the island were suitable for swimming, snorkeling, and diving and to enjoy the beautiful coral reefs, consisting of a variety of ornamental fish.

The tourism potential in Central Bangka is quite promising, especially with marine tourism attractions such as Kebang Kemilaw Beach, Terentang Beach, Ketawai Island, and Kolong Biru (Blue Lake).

Kolong Biru is a former tin mining pool with blue waters that is currently attracting many tourists who wish to admire its surrounding beauty.

Accordingly, the Central Bangka district government and the Culture and Tourism Office will continue to develop it further to attract even more tourists.

The supporting facilities around Kolong Biru will be improved in an effort to enhance the appeal of this tourist attraction.

For its part, Bangka Island has an abundance of marine and historical attractions, encouraging the Pangkalpinang city government to spare no effort to develop them to appeal to domestic and foreign tourists.

The island is known for its lush tropical forests and is surrounded by a crystal-clear sea lapping at its white sandy beaches.

(T.O001/A/KR-BSR/S012)

Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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