Wonderful Indonesia: 9 Tempat Wisata Syariah di Indonesia

AFB - Indonesia sebagai negara dengan penduduk Muslim terbesar di dunia, terus berupaya mengembangkan wisata syariah di Tanah Air. Untuk itu, ke depan 9 destinasi akan menjadi wilayah tujuan wisata syariah, yaitu: Sumatera Barat, Riau, Lampung, Banten, Jakarta, Jawa Barat, Jawa Timur, Makassar, dan Lombok.

9 wilayah tujuan wisata syariah tersebut ditentukan berdasarkan kesiapan sumber daya manusia, budaya masyarakatnya, produk wisata daerah, serta akomodasi wisatanya.

Adapun penetapan destinasi wisata syariah itu merupakan persiapan menjelang peluncuran produk wisata syariah tahun 2014.

Wonderful Indonesia: Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) 2013

AFB - This year's TIME, the Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo 2013 or otherwise known as "Pasar Wisata" will take place in Padang, capital of West Sumatra from 18th to 21th October 2013, after the success of two consecutive editions in Bandar Lampung, capital of Lampung Province.

TIME is an annual event organized by the Tourism Society of Indonesia (Masyarakat Pariwisata Indonesia/MPI) supported by various shareholders of Indonesian Tourism including the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the Provincial Government of West Sumatra , the Association of Indonesia's Travel Agents (ASITA), the Association of Tour Guides of Indonesia, the Association of Hotel and Restaurants (PHRI), and Garuda Indonesia airline.

TIME is the only international contract travel mart in Indonesia with a direct business to business concept. The event is a meeting place for those who sell tourism products and services of Indonesia (sellers) to the international market (buyers). 

TIME is Indonesia's only mart listed in the calendar of international travel marts together with ITB Berlin, WTM London, Arabian Travel Mart (ATM), PATA Travel Mart, and other similar world prestigious events. TIME 2013 will present all Indonesia's tourist destinations, including popular and newly discovered travel destinations, tourism objects, and new product developments.

Wonderful Indonesia: "PULAU TIDUNG" Weekend Get-Away in Jakarta’s Thousand Islands

AFB - Living in the city of Jakarta, or any large metropolis for that matter, it’s easy to spend your weekends or holidays by just defaulting to what you always do, simply because you always do it.  Go to the mall, go shopping, hang out in the café, or maybe catch a movie in the cinema. All of this has become so common place that it just gets boring. So why not try something different this time?

Pulau Tidung is located relatively close to the capital city of Jakarta, that you wouldn’t have to spend unnecessary time and money just trying to get there. For Jakarta-dwellers looking for a simple and affordable weekend getaway – hop on a boat and see if Pulau Tidung isn’t exactly what you’re looking for. Tidung offers secluded beaches, starry nights and an amiable community, just a stone’s throw away from the capital. And unlike Puncak or Bandung, you won’t have to battle with the traffic either.

Pulau Tidung is the largest and one of the most populous islands in the Thousand Islands district. The Thousand Islands are a chain of small islands that stretch about 45 kilometres into the Java Sea, the closest being barely a few kilometres off the north coast of Jakarta. Contrary to its name, the Thousand Islands in reality are made up of only 110 islands, and form Jakarta’s only regency. This also makes Jakarta the only capital city in the world that consists of over a hundred islands!

Medan's New Kuala Namu International Airport

AFB - Medan’s much awaited Kuala Namu International Airport is set to begin operations starting Thursday 25 July 2013, said Airport Director of PT Angkasa Pura II, Salahuddin Rafi to the press.  The first aircraft to take off from Kuala Namu is expected to be a Garuda Indonesia plane, leaving Medan , capital of North Sumatra, at 06.0 am West Indonesia Time.

Kuala Namu Airport will be the second largest airport in Indoneisa after the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta to replace the present Polonia airport, which is already the fourth busiest airport in the country after Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya.  Medan is the main gateway to the tourist wonders around the magnificent, huge Lake Toba.

Built on the former plantation of the PT Perkebunan Tanjung Morawa in Deli Serdang, the Kuala Namu International Airport, has a runway of 3,750 meters by 60 meters to allow landing and take off of wide-bodied aircrafts.

The airport is built to serve 9 million passengers in its first phase, and 16 million passsengers in its second phase, catering to 4.5 million international passengers and 2.6 million international transit passengers.  The terminal covers a 6.5 hectares area, with 3.5 hectares for commercial use.   

Simulations and airport technical and navigational checks have been meticulously made since January this year and all are confirmed ready.  The airport is 100 percent ready to operate, confirmed Salahuddin to Bisnis Indonesia, although the toll road and highway to the airport from Medan are at the moment as yet 98% completed. The delay in construction has been caused by difficulties in land acquisition.

WAKATOBI National Marine Park: The Underwater Nirwana

 

AFB-Legendary underwater explorer and conservationist, Jacques Cousteau is said to have called the Wakatobi islands – then known as the Tukangbesi islands:  an “Underwater Nirwana”

Now a National Marine Park covering the entire Waktobi District, it comprises a total of 1.4 million hectares, of which 900,000 hectares are decorated with different, colourful species of tropical coral reefs. For Wakatobi is widely recognized as having the highest number of reef and fish species in the world.   

The islands are also famous as the largest barrier reef in Indonesia, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Here can be found fringing, atolls and barrier reefs and offer more than 50 spectacular dive sites easily accessible from the major islands.  This is the habitat of large and small fish species, the playground of dolphins, turtles and even whales. 

The island group comprises 143 larger and smaller islands where only 7 are inhabited counting a total population of around 100,000, while the others remain uninhabited. Most notable are the Bajo communities, the seafaring nomads who inhabit many of Indonesia’s remote islands.

Safari Park : Where Wild Animals Roam Free

AFB - If you like to observe wild animals like tigers, lions and crocodiles in their native habitat, then Taman Safari Indonesia is just for you.

Taman Safari Indonesia or the Indonesian Safari Park is a conservation center as well as a modern zoological garden with various collections of flora and fauna. In this Park, you will not only enjoy the beauty of it‘s nature, but also interact directly or watch the animals wander around freely. Visitors can also travel in this conservation area using their private car or a provided bus through these amazing wild habitats.
   
In Indonesia, Safari Parks are available in three provinces; Taman Safari I in Cisarua Bogor, West Java, Taman Safari II in Mount Arjuna, Prigen, East Java, and Taman Safari III (Bali Safari and Marine Park) in Serongga Gianyar, Bali. Among these three tourist sites, Taman Safari I in Bogor is the most famous site for domestic as well as foreign tourists.  It was built in 1930 and previously called Radio Safari Garden and Taman Safari Televisi Indonesia.  It is also a buffer zone for Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park and is situated 900 to 1,800 meters above sea level.

Ujung Kulon National Park: The Last Sanctuary of The Javan Rhinos

AFB - The last sanctuary of the Javan rhinoceros, the Ujung Kulon National Park is the triangular peninsula situated at the south western-most tip of Java. Ujung Kulon is Indonesia first and prime National Park, which was designated as a nature reserve since 1921.  This is the largest remaining lowland tropical rainforest ecosystem in West Java. And, together with the awesome Krakatau volcano the 137,000 hectares Park was declared Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Ujung Kulon is the habitat of the rhino (badak) of which only 60 survive today. Seeing one of these animals is very rare since they are shy and are traceable only at night. Here also roam free some endangered animals like leopard cats, gibbons, long-tailed macaques, leaf-monkeys, crocodiles, muntjaks, mousedeer and herds of grazing wild oxen. In the Park’s surrounding seas are found the great clam, clown fish, angel fish, parrot fish, mudskippers which can climb trees, and archer fish, which spit water up to a height of more than two meters to catch insects.

The Ujung Kulon Park is also rich in plant life. It has 700 species of plants with some 57 categorized as endangered species, including various species of orchids.

Visitors to the Park may enjoy fast flowing rivers, waterfalls, white sandy beaches, thermal springs, and beautiful sea gardens

Best site to observe animals is at Handeuleum Island. From here one can further explore rivers and mangrove forests. While Peucang Island is ideal for snorkeling, diving and fishing with its clear blue water, white beaches and coral reefs.

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