"We are trying to coordinate with the managers, for example, regarding the authority of the management of sand dunes and its boundaries for the development of tourism activities," Head of Tourism of, Bantul Kwintarto Heru, said on Saturday.
According to him, the plan to develop the sand dune tourism in the south coast of Bantul is as an effort by the local government to declare Bantul as an international tourism, because the sand dunes have the potential of becoming tourist destinations.
However, in the development of sand dunes, people have been urged to avoid activities that may damage the geopark.
In addition to sand dunes, the District Government will develop the tomb of the kings of Mataram in Imogiri by raising the potential of tourism around the complex of historical tourism for developing Bantul into an international tourism destination.
"If we look at the characteristics of the tombs of Imogiri kings nearby, there is also a tomb of artists, typical food, and a batik center area. Of course, we can develop it to increase tourist visits," he remarked.
According to him, the declaration of Bantul Toward International Tourism is due to the increase in foreign tourist visits to Yogyakarta and the operation of Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo in 2019.
Bantul has Parangtritis Beach which has previously been famous worldwide, but the percentage of tourists visiting Parangtritis in Bantul is small compared to Yogyakarta, Heru continued.
"The percentage of foreigners traveling to Bantul is very small. This is ironic. Therefore, we are trying to arrange both institutional tourism business and socialization of the implementation of `sapta pesona,` to make it an international tourism destination" he added. *** 1 ***
Reporter: Hery Sidik
Editor: Bustanuddin
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
