Indonesia, Malaysia Agree to Boost Marine Tourism
Jakarta. Indonesia and Malaysia signed a new agreement to boost marine tourism in both countries.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya and his Malaysian counterpart Mas Ermieyati Samsudin signed the Marine Tourism Triangle Cooperation Langkawi- Phuket- Sabang agreement at the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) forum in Bangkok on Wednesday (26/04).
"We want to establish a triangular sailing passage connecting [...] Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand via Sabang, Langkawi and Phuket islands," Arief said in an official statement.
Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Suriyasat Wattanavrangkul also attended the WTTC event and said she plans to sign the agreement soon.
"We will make sure to follow up on that [agreement] soon. Yacht sailing regulations are different in each country, that's why we need more time to join in," she said.
To boost marine tourism to Indonesia, especially in North Sumatra and Aceh, the archipelago nation will host the Sail Sabang 2017 event in December to bring together yachters and other aquatic enthusiasts.
Indroyono Soesilo, an honorary adviser to Arief, said December's event will help boost global marine tourism to Indonesia.
"We are considered a newcomer in the marine tourism industry. With this new cooperation, we hope that we can learn how to improve our marine destinations from places like Malaysia's Langkawi Island and Thailand's Phuket Island," Indroyono said.
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