Hoping to attract travelers from across Indonesia and overseas, North Maluku announced Saturday in its capital Ternate that it will host Morotai Festival.
The festival will take place in Daruba, the capital of Morotai Island, from Aug. 2 to 8, kompas.com reported.
North Maluku Governor Abdul Gani Kasuba said on Saturday that the decision to make the announcement in the province’s capital could help increase exposure for the event, especially among residents of other regencies and cities in North Maluku.
Meanwhile, Tourism Ministry expert staff member Hari Suhendro said the government previously named Morotai Island one of the “10 New Bali” destinations, and he expected the island to bring in 500,000 foreign tourists annually.
However, Hari said the island still needed support in order to improve its accessibility, such as the provision of a minimum of two incoming flights a day. As for now, there is only one flight heading to Morotai Island every day.
Hari went on to say that the development of the island as a special economic zone for the fisheries industry was projected to help improve tourism on Morotai Island, the official mascot of which is the gomo (Gorango Morotai) whale.
A number of activities will be conducted during the festival, including a Morotai idol talent search, fun dive, fishing event, traditional cuisine contest, soccer tournament and cultural performances by choreographer and dancer Eko Supriyanto and artists from Jakarta.
Source&image: TheJakartaPost
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