Jakarta (ANTARA) - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno stated that his side will push for plans to build cable cars at tourist destinations, such as Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and Puncak in West Java.

"This cable car can be an alternative (mode of) transportation that is environmentally friendly, especially for Puncak, because the congestion at Puncak is unbelievable," the minister stated during the Year-End Press Conference as quoted in an official statement received here, Wednesday.

The Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek) Transportation Management Agency is reported to have conducted an initial study and provided a recommendation budget for the automatic train and cable car amounting to Rp7.3 trillion. However, the Bogor Regional Government is still assessing and reviewing the budget.

The minister remarked that investors from Saudi Arabia were interested in investing in the development of the cable car in Puncak after his visit to the country some time ago.

"Of course, we encourage the acceleration of preparations for this cable car to be realized not only in Puncak but also in several other tourist destinations," he remarked.

Uno's visit to Saudi Arabia was undertaken on the sidelines of the 2022 World Travel Market (WTM) tourism exchange in London, England, in November. One of the topics of discussion was related to efforts to build a cable car that would connect several tourist destinations in Puncak.

Regarding the cable car in NTB, the regional government, along with investors from China, have commenced the groundbreaking for the construction of the cable car from Karang Sidemen Village, Central Lombok District, to the Mount Rinjani area.

"This cable car is an extraordinary investment project to increase tourism that has been developed by the regional government," Central Lombok District Head Lalu Pathul Bahri stated during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the cable car in Praya Sub-district, Central Lombok, NTB, on December 18.

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Translator: M Baqir I A, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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