INDONESIA - Mighty Makassar

TTGasia, Oct 20 - 26, 2006 / No.1499

WHILE the scuba sites of Manado in North Sulawesi are world famous, and the beautiful architecture of traditional Toraja homes have become an icon of the country, Sulawesi has still some way to go in gaining international tourism recognition.

Having hosted TIME (Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo) for the first time this year, Makassar is setting its tourism sights high and is hoping to become a more well-known gateway to eastern Indonesia.

The city is one of the few in Indonesia which has set a percentage of its budget aside for promotions through its own Makassar Tourism Board (MTB). MTB was established four years ago. Chairman, Mr Andi Ilham Mattalatta, said: “The industry has replied to the city government’s call to develop revenue from tourism by asking them to commit three per cent of its tourism income for promotion and product development.”

This year, MTB gets 750 million rupiah (US$82,000).

Makassar is a busy business city and tourists tend to treat it as a transit point on the way to Tana Toraja. City-wide hotel occupancy averages more than 75 per cent.

Being the major hub for eastern Indonesia, Hasanuddin Airport is one of the country’s busiest, with an average of 72 flights taking off and landing every day. Last year, it served 3.4 million passengers, a number which pushed airport capacity to the maximum.

Makassar mayor, Mr Ilham Arief Sirajuddin, said: “Makassar has the potential to become a tourist destination on its own.

“We have historical, cultural and marine tourism assets. What we need to do is to manage and develop them well to attract tourists.”

The city government started revitalising its famous waterfront, Losari Beach, two years ago.

Land along the beach has been reclaimed to create a public area where visitors can stroll or just sit, relax and watch the sunset.

Street food hawkers, who used to crowd the whole stretch of the beach, have been relocated to Pusat Sajan Wisata Laguna (Laguna Culinary Centre), about five minutes away.

There are 11 small islands off Makassar, four of which can be developed for marine tourism.

Mr Sirajuddin said: “Of the four, Kayangan Island has been developed and is a popular resort destination for local tourists.
“We are looking for investors to develop Samalona, Lanyukang and Kodengareng Keke islands.”

Samalona is a diving and snorkelling spot, Lanyukang has potential for fishing and Kodengareng Keke has been slated for resort development.

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