Gobel Urges State-Owned Banks to Support Gorontalo Tourism Ecosystem

Member of the House of Representatives (DPR) for the Gorontalo electoral district, Rachmat Gobel, has urged state-owned banks in Gorontalo to support the local tourism ecosystem. “For example, by providing credit to entrepreneurs who own hotel or restaurant businesses,” he said on Monday, 15 June 2026. He made the statement during visits to Bank Mandiri and Bank BNI in Gorontalo. He first met with the head of the Bank Mandiri Gorontalo branch, Warham Syahrani, and subsequently with the head of the Bank BNI Gorontalo branch, Susilawati Buchari. During the meetings at their respective offices, the bank officials presented their company performance, while Rachmat Gobel outlined his programmes as a member of the DPR. In Bone Bolango Regency, Gobel organised and built facilities at Lake Perintis. He constructed various attractions and infrastructure, transforming the once quiet and neglected lake into a popular tourist destination. Numerous MSMEs have since emerged, including three restaurants and cafés on the lake’s edge. “I organised, built, and maintain it, but all revenue goes to the regional government. It has now become one of the largest sources of locally generated revenue in Bone Bolango,” he stated. Gobel also developed the Menara Pakaya and its surrounding area. In 2018, he installed lighting on the tower built by Ahmad Pakaya during his tenure as regent of Gorontalo Regency, making it one of only three illuminated towers in the world, alongside the Eiffel Tower and Tokyo Tower. The base of the tower was also enhanced, leading to a growth in economic activity. In 2026, he is upgrading the lighting and adding metal relief decorations to make the tower more magnificent. Two floors of the tower will also house a café and a diorama. In the adjacent field, he installed a ball-shaped videotron with a diameter of three metres, supported by legs two to three metres high. “This area will become lively again,” he said. In addition to these two tourist destinations, Gobel has developed Tamendao Beach, the Pentadio hot springs area, the Bajo tribal settlement in Torosiaje, and an agro-tourism village. He has also carried out various greening initiatives by planting bamboo, cocoa, and mangroves to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate global warming. “The growth of tourism areas and destinations in Gorontalo requires supporting infrastructure, such as accommodation, restaurants, cafés, eateries, and souvenir businesses. For accommodation, for instance, there is a need for budget hotels that offer a three-star experience,” said Gobel. He noted this trend is evident in tourist areas like Yogyakarta and should be developed around Menara Pakaya. Gobel added that the emergence of such budget hotels is a common phenomenon in tourist regions across Europe, Turkey, and Japan. “This also promotes economic equality and provides comparable access for all levels of society,” he said. By supporting the tourism ecosystem, Gobel believes state-owned banks in Gorontalo can help create economic acceleration in the region. “We need synergy and cooperation,” he concluded.