We have a lot of marine and fisheries potential to introduce and promote during Sail Tomini and the Boalemo Festival."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Gorontalo provincial administration is busy making preparations to ensure the success of the Sail Tomini international maritime event by expediting the completion of the development of supporting infrastructure.
Secretary General of the Indonesian Maritime Council Dedy Sutisna has urged the Sail Tomini local committee to complete developing the supporting infrastructure posthaste.
"Preparations for Sail Tomini in Parigi Moutong and Boalemo are running smoothly, but I ask that the development of supporting facilities be accelerated," Sutisna said after attending a Sail Tomini coordination meeting in Gorontalo on Thursday.
Sail Tomini will be held along with the Boalemo cultural festival. Therefore, he emphasized that the supporting facility must be ready by no later than August.
"Boalemo will be the center of activities of the Sail Tomini event. So members of the local committee should speed up the development of the supporting facilities there," he stated.
Furthermore, Governor of Gorontalo Rusli Habibie gave his assurance that he will make every effort to complete the development of infrastructure on time.
"Clean water facility, access to roads and bridges, and other facilities in Boalemo will be ready on time," the governor affirmed, adding that hotels and restaurants there should also provide the best possible services to their guests during the event.
According to Habibie, Sail Tomini will also be enlivened with the Boalemo Festival that will be held on September 10.
He also confirmed that the international sailing event will take place in Tomini Bay, Indonesias largest bay that shares a border with the provinces of Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi and North Sulawesi.
Sail Tomini 2015 will showcase the biodiversity of Tomini Bay to the world and will promote its potential to become a world marine tourism destination in these three provinces.
The cultural diversity of Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi and North Sulawesi with their underwater panoramas can make Tomini Bay, situated in the coral triangle, a prime tourist destination.
Habibie reiterated that the Boalemo cultural festival will also be held with Sail Tomini 2015.
Moreover, he expressed hope that Sail Tomini and Boalemo Festival 2015 will produce great benefits that will improve the welfare of the local community.
As the two events have been scheduled for September, he explained, various preparations have to be completed ahead of time to ensure their success.
"We have a lot of marine and fisheries potential to introduce and promote during Sail Tomini and the Boalemo Festival," Habibie remarked.
According to the governor, the international marine event of Sail Tomini and the festival aim to promote Tomini Bay.
He added that Sail Tomini will further strengthen and increase cooperation and brotherhood among the three provinces, which have been mutually supportive of each other.
He pointed out that numerous activities were scheduled to coincide with the sailing event and the festival, including the Surya Baskara Jaya health service operation, a village development movement, national seminars, a diplomatic tour, a yacht rally, a Tomini Bay research expedition, and media-related events.
"These activities will be carried out during the sailing event and festival as the government of Bengkulu province is determined to make them great successes," Habibie said.
He also urged the public in the province to support these international and national events.
"Both Sail Tomini and the Boalemo Festival will greatly contribute to the welfare of the local community. Therefore, everyone here should support the events," the governor added.
In addition, the North Gorontalo district government will also hold the annual Saronde Festival in early September this year to support the international maritime event of Sail Tomini 2015.
District Head of North Gorontalo Indra Yasin stated in Gorontalo on Friday that the festival will serve as a "welcome party" for the hundreds of tourists who will come to enjoy Sail Tomini.
"North Gorontalo district is honored to be one of the layover points of the Sail Tomini yacht rally. This is an opportunity that must be utilized optimally," Yasin remarked.
He added that the Saronde Festival to be held on Saronde Island is an annual event held every February. However, it was postponed to early September deliberately to support Sail Tomini 2015.
The festival will be enlivened with numerous activities, including a small boat race around Saronde Island, a miss tourism contest, a beach boy contest, beach sports, and other forms of entertainment.
Saronde is a beautiful small island with white sandy beaches surrounded by beautiful coral reefs where tourists can go swimming, boating, snorkeling, or diving, and also enjoy sunrise and sunset.
Situated in the northern bay of Kwandang in North Gorontalo district, Saronde Island is widely known for being able to captivate the hearts of both domestic and foreign tourists.
"Therefore, the Saronde Festival is expected to attract even more tourists to visit the island and serve as an opportunity to promote local marine tourism and the typical handicrafts potential of the region," Yasin noted.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR/F001)
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
