5 Meratus Geopark Geosites Become A Priority For South Kalimantan Tourism, One Of Them Is Sekoyang Beach In Kotabaru

An explorer takes a photo inside the Baramban cave, which is one of the Meratus Geopark geosites in South Kalimantan/ANTARA

BANJARMASIN - Head of the South Kalimantan Tourism Office, Muhammad Syarifuddin, said that five of the 74 Meratus Geopark geosites are government priorities for development.

"The five geosites have been developed for tourism," he said in Banjarmasin, Antara, Monday, June 6.

The five Meratus Geopark geosites are Tahura Sultan Adam in Banjar Regency, Diamond Panning in Banjarbaru, Tanjung Dewa in Tanah Laut Regency, Batu Besar in Tanah Bumbu Regency and Sekoyang Beach in Kotabaru Regency.

"If these five geosites have received recognition as UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGG), the others will be built in stages," he said.

Not only infrastructure development is being carried out in the five geosites, he said, his party has started training related to tourism for the community around the Meratus Geopark ecosystem.

The five geosites, he said, are very worthy of being recognized as UGG, because they have a unique earth heritage that doesn't exist in other areas.

"According to Bappenas, the geosite deserves recognition. Because of its geological history, for example, its uniqueness and the age of the rock is older than the others," he said.

Assessing all the potential, he said, until now the Meratus Geopark has become one of the priorities for tourism development in South Kalimantan.

In developing tourist destinations in South Kalimantan, he said, not only reaching infrastructure development but also targeting the socio-economic community, as well as a sustainable environment.