News focus: Sail Banda 2010 supported by many parties

Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 16:06 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The upcoming international marine event "Sail Banda 2010" in Maluku, scheduled from July to August, has gained support from various parties.

Support to make the event a success came among others from Maluku-born people in the Netherlands, Bank Indonesia, as well as air and sea transportation agencies.

In the Netherlands, Maluku-born people are ready to support the Sail Banda 2010 by intensively promoting it in European countries, a Maluku tourism official said.

"At least 350 Moluccans in the Netherlands have expressed their readiness to intensively promote the coming event in Holland and other European countries," head of Maluku`s Culture and Tourism Office, Florence Sahusilawane, said in Ambon on Wednesday.

Florence said the expatriate Maluku people had expressed their readiness to her when she attended the Dutch tourism event, "Vakantiebeurs" in Utrecht, the Netherlands, last January 12-17, 2010.

"The most important thing in their support to Sail Banda 2010 is that they will also come to Maluku along with their relatives, Dutch friends, and other colleagues from Europe for the event scheduled for July to August 2010," she said.

Florence added that she highly appreciated the seriousness of Moluccans in the Netherlands to help make Sail Banda 2010 a success because it would be a strategic event to assure the international community that peace and calm have returned to Maluku after the province was engulfed by a communal conflict from 1999 to 2002.

"We actually want the Netherlands to be the gateway for netting West European tourists who increasingly visit Maluku every year," Florence said.

She was also optimistic about the promotion of Sail Banda in Europe because the Maluku Museum director in the Netherlands, Dr Huib Akihary, had expressed readiness to help promote the event in European countries.

"Therefore, leaflets on Sail Banda in Dutch and English will be spread large and wide in the Netherlands and other European countries," Florence said.

She said the Maluku Culture and Tourism office had been intensively promoting Sail Banda 2010 through brochures, leaflets, both print and electronic media, including its website www.sailbanda.com.

"We have also made use of various events such as the observance of World Peace Day on November 25, 2009 and the election of tourism ambassadors on December 1-6, 2009 to promote Sail Banda 2010," she said.

Besides Maluku-born community in the Netherlands, Bank Indonesia (the central bank) of Ambon branch is to open money changer counters and ATM booths in Banda to support the international marine event.

"Bank Indonesia and a number of banks such as Bank BRI, Bank Central Asia (BCA), and Bank BNI will also provide services for financial transactions in Banda to support the event," Ambon branch Bank Indonesia spokesman Totok Hermianto said in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon on Monday.

Totok admitted that he had discussed the event with the leaders of the banks operating in Ambon and they agreed to open banking service counters in Banda.

"Foreign tourists visiting Banda, as well as the participants of Sail Banda 2010 will find it easy to make financial transactions following the opening of banking service counters in Banda during the international marine event," Totok said.

He expressed hope that the promotion of Sail Banda 2010 would be intensified in order to have a good impact on the improvement of Maluku economic development in the future.

"All public elements should support the event together by making an all out promotion so that it can have a positive impact on regional economic development and the local people`s income," Totok said.

Meanwhile, Transportation Department`s Air Transportation director general Herry Bakti has said his office was ready to support the sailing festival, named Sail Banda 2010, because according to him, inter-department coordination was necessary to support the success of the international event.

"In principle, the Transportation Directorate General is ready to support the event," he has said in Bandaneira, Banda, Maluku.

The most important thing is to prepare reliable telephone and internet infrastructure. This can facilitate communication and telecommunication access so that people would not all gather in Ambon if they want to promote Banda," he said.

Sail Banda, he said, needs to be supported by a maritime armada with the capacity and speed that can sail across 159 miles from Ambon to Bandaneira in at least three to four hours.

Herry was of the view that Banda has under-sea tourism asset as well as a history and culture with particular characteristics. If managed professionally, Banda can attract many tourists.

The national shipping company PT Pelni is also ready to help make the Sail Banda 2010 event a success by putting more ships into service on its route to the Banda Islands in Central Maluku, a spokesman said.

Bachtiar, head of PT Pelni`s Ambon branch office, said in Ambon that the national shipping company felt it bore the moral responsibility to support the international maritime event in Banda.

"We at PT Pelni are ready to help make the event a success," Bachtiar said.

He said the company was currently operating MV Ciremai and MV Kelimutu on its route to Banda in Central Maluku, Tual in Southeast Maluku, and a number of ports in West Papua and Papua.

Asked if the number of ships for Banda would be increased in the runup to Sail Banda 2010, Bachtiar said it was the responsibility of PT Pelni`s head office to decide.

"But because Sail Banda 2010 is an international event, I think there will be a good coordination between the transportation ministry and PT Pelni to increase the number of ships sailing to Banda," Bachtiar said.

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