Maratua, Berau Regency Mainstay Destination Interested By Foreign Tourists

JAKARTA - Maratua Island is the outermost small island in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. The beauty of Maratua Island is even very famous to foreign countries. This tourist destination is the mainstay of the local government to attract tourist visits.

"Berau Regency has several tourist destinations. One of them that we rely on today is marine tourism, precisely on Maratua Island," said Deputy Regent of Berau Gamalis to VOI, met at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy some time ago.

Maratua Island also gets the nickname as a piece of heaven on earth. Because, it has an amazing underwater beauty and is a favorite diving spot or diving spot for divers.

Because when diving or just snorkeling, tourists can see various types of animals. Such as, sharks, sea horses, pilat eels and others. However, if you are lucky, tourists can also see green turtles and giant mantas.

Because of the exoticism of this island, it is not surprising that many local and foreign tourists decide to visit there.

Not only that, Gamalis explained that in Maratua there is an event that is also able to attract local and foreign tourists, namely Maratua Jazz. That's because this event is said to be the only jazz music event held in the middle of the sea, coupled with the beauty of the marine paradise around it.

"The Maratua Jazz event will be held again. In 2020-2021 it will be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

In the future, Maratua is also predicted to be a leading tourist destination for the new State Capital (IKN) in East Kalimantan, given the rapidly growing tourism industry in the country.

"We will continue to promote Berau's tourism potential as one of the IKN buffer areas in East Kalimantan," he said.