UAE Prepares 5 Million US Dollars To Develop Komodo Island Tourism

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASH/LIKE Barbara

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government provides 5 million US dollars for tourism development on Komodo Island, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Deputy Governor of NTT Johni Asadoma in front of the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Indonesia, Abdulla Salem AlDhaheri said it is now time for the United Arab Emirates to invest in NTT.

"I am very grateful that you can visit NTT and listen to what we need from your country. The United Arab Emirates has invested in other places in Indonesia. This is the time for you to invest in East Nusa Tenggara," said Johni as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, November 7.

In addition to support in the tourism sector, Johni also hopes that there will also be investment support from the United Arab Emirates government, especially for stunting alleviation, as well as to overcome problems in the fisheries, health and infrastructure sectors.

Johni said the arrival of the team from the UAE Embassy was in the context of exploring the potential for investment in tourism in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, especially on Komodo Island.

During his visit, the UAE Ambassador was accompanied by the Head of the Economic Relations Section ofmanfaat Al Aziezi, Political Analyst Abdul Rahman Ali, Media Analyst Nur Kholis Ridwan, Executive Secretary Fauzia Prawiranata, and UAE Embassy Economic Analyst in Jakarta AM Farul Baqi.

In his remarks, Abdulla emphasized that the desire of the United Arab Emirates was part of the success story of development in East Nusa Tenggara, especially in the tourism sector.

"We always take into account East Nusa Tenggara. So many things were conveyed during the video presentation. I believe, you have so much potential," said Abdulla, starting his speech.

According to him, even though he is a relatively young country, the UAE has become one of the giant countries in the economic sector. Therefore, he hopes for agreements in various areas in NTT that can be connected to the investment interests of the UAE.

"Based on the history of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, I say this is a very high bilateral relationship, which is at the highest level. Our two countries respect each other. We are the one who regulates that momentum. We are the one who controls the success story. We are the ones who study each other, work together with each other. The relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia began almost 48 years ago," said Abdulla.

Entering the 50th age of bilateral relations, Abdulla hopes that existing relations will develop from more traditional sectors to new sectors such as tourism, education, health services, food security, and others.

"This shows the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia moving into a new spectrum of bilateral relations," said Abdulla.

He said, in the tourist area, cooperation between the UAE and Indonesia will help Indonesia to show a better Komodo ecosystem, and can improve tourism in NTT as a whole.

"Komodo needs a better ecosystem, a better manifestation in how we present the Komodo dragon. This project will also involve local educational institutions such as Nusa Cendana University to be part of the development of the Komodo dragon ecosystem. We encourage the government to accelerate this process," he said.

He also said the Komodo conservation project had long been launched, but had not yet been implemented. Therefore, he hopes that there will be cooperation and collaboration between the two countries. The project, according to Ambassador Abdulla, will have a positive impact on tourism in NTT.