Leading Tourist Attractions Support Tour De Molluccas

JAKARTA, Sept 18 (Antara) - The huge potential of natural resources and various leading tourist attractions in Indonesia's province of Maluku are believed to contribute positively to the success of the international cycling race of Tour de Moluccas (TdM) 2017. Ambon, the center of the Maluku provincial government administration, and other districts in the province are rich in natural, maritime, and cultural tourism potential that can make the area a leading tourist destination in Indonesia and abroad. Undoubtedly, Maluku will one day become popular in the world for its scenic beaches and sea more than the Caribbean blue if the government manages the area optimally as a tourist attraction. It is because the province has natural, marine, cultural, and religious tourism potential, which can attract huge number of local and foreign tourists if introduced optimally. Apart from intensifying tourism promotion, the local creative economy and tourism office has also requested the provincial administration to organize proper transportation and accommodation facilities for the tourists. The tourists visiting Maluku will miss out on something memorable if they fail to admire the beauty of the various fish species that live amid the coral reefs of the province's seas. In its efforts to make the province better known worldwide, the local government is, for the first time, organizing the international cycling event of TdM on September 18-22, 2017. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan remarked in Ambon on Sunday that the TdM will evolve into one of the famous and prestigious sports-based tourism events abroad. "I believe that in the coming years, the TdM will develop into a prestigious sports-based tourism event abroad, since it is supported by the enormous potential of natural resources as well as various natural, marine, cultural, and historical tourism attractions," Panjaitan affirmed. The coordinating minister of maritime affairs expressed belief that the number of TdM participants from abroad in the coming years will increase, as the name of Maluku, or "Moluccas," is popular in the history of the world, as a spice-producing country in the past. Panjaitan said the success of the TdM 2017 will be a benchmark for the implementation of the similar international cycling race in 2018 and beyond. Maluku Governor Said Assagaff inaugurated the start of the TdM at the Merdeka Square in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon on Sunday night. In the company of Maluku Tourism Office Chief Habiba Saimima, the governor opened the sports-based tourism event in the presence of all participants of the international cycling race. The opening ceremony of the TdM 2017 on Sunday night was enlivened by art and cultural performances to entertain the participants who have mostly come from abroad. On the occasion, Governor Assagaff extended his gratitude to the international cyclists from some 20 countries for participating in the sports tourism event. "I hope the participants of the cycling race would not feel bored but be eager to conquer the entire route and enjoy the beauty of nature and tourism in this province," the governor remarked. The TdM 2017 race will cover a total distance of 714 kilometers, crossing three districts and a city in the islands of Seram and Ambon in the province of Maluku. Assagaff asserted that the TdM international cycling race can offer an important opportunity for the provincial government and the people of Maluku to develop the tourism sector and make it the top contributor to regional development and welfare improvement. The governor expressed hope that Maluku's entire community would support the success of the event, so that it can leave a memorable impression and be an interesting experience for the participants of the cycling race. Earlier, on Sunday afternoon, Governor Assagaff, along with the coordinating minister for maritime affairs and numerous local government officials, participated in the Cycling for All event by touring the city of Ambon as part of the grand opening of TdM, with a total prize of Rp1 billion. Later on Monday morning, the 20 countries' participants, who were divided into 14 teams, left Ambon City for Piru in West Seram to participate in the first of the five stages of the TdM race. The teams participating in the TdM are: Terengganu Cycling Team of Malaysia, 7-Eleven Road Bike of the Philippines, St George Continental Cycling Team of Australia, Kinan Cycling Team of Japan, LX Cycling Team of South Korea, Sapura Cycling Team of Malaysia, Kuwait Cartucho ES of Kuwait, CCN Cycling Team of Laos, KFC Cycling team of Indonesia, PGN - Road Cycling Team of China, Banyuwangi Road Cycling Club, Advan Customs Cycling Club of Bali, and United Bike Kencana of Malang. The TdM international cycling race is divided into five stages, with the first one from Piru to Masohi covering a distance of 179.7 kilometers (km); the second from Wahai to Bula, 155.8 km; the third from Bula to Wahai, 153.8 km; the fourth from Masohi to Waipirit, 138.5 km; and the fifth stage will start from Namalatu Beach and circle the city of Ambon seven times before crossing the finish line at the Merdeka Square for the closing ceremony on September 23, 2017.