Bahari Nongsa festival promotes tourism

Bahari Nongsa festival promotes tourism

By David Chew

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has declared 1996 to be
Indonesia's Maritime Year, a most fitting tribute to the
country's position as an archipelagic nation, in fact the world's
largest. We should keep this important declaration in mind, at
least for the next three months, considering the sea-faring
heritage and tradition bequeathed by the Majapahit Empire several
centuries ago.

And to help us do this, there will be an exciting beach
carnival to highlight the country's rich heritage and tradition
on the seas. The carnival will also provide entertainment, food
and fun to those who love the sea and sun.

The Festival Bahari Nongsa is to be held later this month in
the Riau archipelago, a myriad of more than 300 islands within a
lush tropical area of 20,000 square kilometers.

The carnival's organizing committee, chaired by Soedibyo
Rahardjo, Indonesia's former ambassador to Singapore, comprises
government officials and businessmen from Batam, Jakarta and
Singapore.

The carnival is fully supported by the Indonesian government
through the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, the
Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA), the governor of
Riau and the Indonesian Navy.

The festival provides a good opportunity to promote tourism in
the Riau-Singapore-Johor Growth Triangle, which reflects the
cooperation of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in establishing
a one-stop center to attract foreign investors to the region.
Tourism and recreation cannot be separated from business in the
sense that businessmen must relax after a hard day's work.

For this purpose, the invitations to the week-long beach
carnival from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29 at the Nongsa Point Marina on
Batam Island have been extended to VIPs from Indonesia, Malaysia
and Singapore.

The chief of the Indonesian Navy, Arief Kushariadi, Governor
of Riau Soeripto, Chief Executive of BIDA Soeryohadi Djatmiko and
other top Indonesian government officials have been invited.

From Singapore, the Minister of Trade and Industry Yeo Cheow
Tong, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Tourism Promotion
Board Tan Chin Nam and officials from the Port of Singapore
Authority have been invited.

From Malaysia, the VIPs who have received invitations include
Minister of Tourism Datuk Sabbaruddin Chik, the chief of the
Malaysian Navy and the managing director of Johor Port in
Southern Malaysia.

The festival will emphasize the enormous potential tourism
industry in Riau archipelago, said Minister of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications Joop Ave in his message in the carnival's
souvenir booklet.

Governor of Riau Soeripto said the following in his message:
"For maritime sports and tourism, there are the Bintan and Batam
islands, where you can find scenic beaches such as the Trikora
Beach on Bintan, Pasir Panjang on Rupat Island and Nongsa on
Batam. More sophisticated and attractive, are the sea gardens
with beautiful coral and fish in the waters surrounding the
islands of Mapor, Abang, Pompong, Bulang and Tanjung Berakit.
Challenging diving spots also offer thrills to adventurous
divers."

There will be many ocean sports at the carnival, such as the
KSAL Cup International Yacht Race, sponsored by the Indonesian
Navy. There will also be other sailing races, water-skiing
exhibitions, jet-ski competitions, diving competitions and beach
games.

Pleasure boats from Indonesia, Singapore and Johor, southern
Malaysia, will ferry the participants in the carnival to Batam
island.

The participants from Jakarta will begin their journey today,
arriving at Nongsa Point in five days. The journey is the final
leg of what First Admiral Yoewarsono of the Indonesian Navy, in
his message in the souvenir booklet, called " ... the missing
link in the yacht circuit between Australia and Asia."

"This year, races are intended to introduce the best sailing
routes possible and are planned to stop at the most beautiful
places such as Ambon, Ujung Pandang, Bali, the Thousand Islands
and Nongsa Batam," said Admiral Yoewarsono.

Pleasure boats and yachts from Singapore and Malaysia will
take advantage of the Riau Gateway Scheme, which was mooted in
1994 to enable the boating communities of both countries to
explore new cruising grounds in Riau.

"The Indonesian Government ...... has put in place streamlined
easy access procedures for all sea sport enthusiasts, be it
angling, diving, boating or tourism," wrote Soedibyo. Under the
scheme, the boats will have no trouble entering Riau waters
through a customs and immigration checkpoint at Nongsa Point
Marina.

So if you, a local Jakarta resident or a member of the
expatriate community, are stressed by the hectic pace of working
in Jakarta, aggravated by chronic traffic jams and you
desperately need a break, the Festival Bahari Nongsa may be just
the antidote for you -- and your family who may need that long-
delayed holiday.

"The whole family can appreciate the natural beauty of
untouched islands and pristine waters under which lie a
magnificent panorama of reefs, coral and marine life," said
Soedibyo.

If you intend to participate in the Jakarta-Nongsa Yacht Race,
you will experience the same breath-taking feeling that the
legendary Japanese, Buginese, Madurese and Menadonese sailors and
fisherman felt hundreds of years ago when they sailed in their
quaint Phinisi, or other traditional boats, in the beautiful
waters teeming with marine life.

But there is one big difference: While they had to contend
with pirates, you can rest assured that this menace will not
bother you. The Indonesian Navy will take care of that. Any
pirate boat that comes within distance of you will be chased
away. If the pirates still prove to be recalcitrant, don't blame
the navy for unleashing its full fire-power on them.

If you're short of time, take a domestic flight from Soekarno-
Hatta Airport in Jakarta to Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, just
more than an hour away. Relax and take in as much of the fun,
food, frolic and sunshine available at the carnival's grand
finale on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29.

You do not need to travel thousands of miles to the Caribbean
or the Mediterranean to get your tired batteries recharged when
you could go to the Festival Bahari Nongsa, which has all of
their qualities and much more.