Marine Festival Will Boost Tourism Products Quality In Sabang

Sabang Marine Festival (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The 2023 Sabang Marine Festival (SMF) is considered to have an impact on improving the quality of tourism products on Indonesia's westernmost island. This is in an effort to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

"The implementation of the SMF improves product quality so that it can compete with neighboring countries," said the Director of Special Interest Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Itok Parekesit, citing Antara.

SMF 2023 was opened directly by the Acting Mayor of Sabang Reza Fahlevi, also attended by Member of Commission X DPR RI Illiza Sa'aduddin Jamal, Head of the Sabang Area Management Agency (BPKS) Junaidi and several other elements at the Menara Merah Putih Monument, Sabang City.

In addition to improving the quality of Sabang's tourism products, the Sabang Marine Festival is also to promote Sabang as a superior tourist destination from a traditional maritime perspective and to become an attraction for tourists.

"The second (SMF) is to promote Sabang as a traditional marine tourism destination," he said.

SMF 2023 has the theme "Gate of Indonesian Maritime Wealth", by prioritizing maritime and cultural potential in the Sabang region. The Sabang City Government and BPKS also involve Panglima Laot or Aceh's maritime customary institution in this year's festival.

With this festival, it is hoped that it will be able to invite more domestic and foreign tourists to visit the island at the western tip of Indonesia to enjoy its natural beauty and cultural richness.

Meanwhile, Member of Commission X DPR RI Illiza Sa'aduddin Jamal hopes that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will continue to be committed to advancing Sabang tourism. Moreover, Aceh is rich in culture.

"Our hope in the future from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is a commitment to advance Sabang. Where Sabang is an archipelago destination that must really be supported by natural beauty, extraordinary maritime wealth," he said.

According to Illiza, if this year the implementation of SMF is a collaboration between the Sabang City Government and BPKS, then in the future it is hoped that greater support from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will promote Sabang.

"Because indeed with so many events, human resources will continue to increase in Sabang so that Sabang's marine wealth is very marketable including fish exports, because the quality of fish in Sabang is extraordinary," he said.