Biak District To Develop Marine Tourism

Jayapura, Papua, March 11 (Antara) - Newly elected Biak Numfor District Head Yesaya Sumbok is committed to developing marine tourism at the Padaido Islands to make the district a tourist destination in East Indonesia. "Consisting of 30 small islands, Padaido is a small archipelago with distinct uniqueness and attraction, and therefore we will develop it in order to be a leading tourist destination in Papua," Yesaya stated here on Tuesday. According to him, the cluster of Padaido islands has beautiful beaches and various types of habitats such as atolls, reef edge, and underwater caves. "Therefore we are committed to developing the islands to support the local revenue by involving the local people, investors, and environmental observers," he noted. Further, the Biak Numfor district head added that he had coordinated with the Yorrys Raweyai Foundation to develop marine tourism potential at Padaido. "I have discussed the matter with Yorrys and we will follow it up later," he explained, adding that Padaido Islands is a paradise for both domestic and foreign tourists who like diving or snorkeling. Padaido, derived from the local language meaning the "inexpressible beauty," the small archipelago in Biak Numfor in the past was known as Schouter from William Schouter, a Dutch sailor who first discovered the islands in 1602. According to a study conducted by Biodiversity Conservation Network (BCN), Padaido is one of the places that has the greatest biodiversity of coral ecosystems in the world. There are 95 species of coral and 155 species of fish, such as various types of sharks reef and octopuses as well as numerous other maritime properties. Padaido Islands has an area of reefs about 9252.1 acres and 328.2 acres for the deep reefs. Some international divers argue that Padaido`s beach area has the most spectacular coral reefs in the world, and therefore, this marine park is perfect for diving and snorkeling adventures.