133 Yachts Taking Part In sail indonesia To Visit North Lombok

Tanjung, W Nusa Tenggara, Sept 5 (ANTARA) - Around 133 yachts from 18 countries, which will be participating in the Sail Indonesia 2012 or Sail Morotai event are expected to visit North Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, a local official said on Wednesday. The head of the North Lombok communication and informatics office`s tourism services, Abdul Aziz said that in all 240 yachts from 30 countries are participating in the Sail Indonesia event this year. The welcoming ceremony for the visiting yachts will be organized at the Medana beach from September 18 to 22, and will feature traditional dances and a local handicraft exhibition, he said. North Lombok District Head Djohan Sjamsu is expected to welcome the participants on September 20. The yachts participating in Sail Indonesia sailed from Darwin in Australia on July 28 and headed for Morotai in North Maluku. The participating yachts are expected to visit a number of islands in Indonesia, including Medana in the North Lombok district. "The yachts are expected to arrive in North Lombok between September 14 and 18. The beauty of the Indonesian coast and its calm seas will be a huge tourist attraction, especially for those who are coming from overseas. This is why they have chosen to visit North Lombok," Aziz noted. At present, around 20 yachts have already arrived in Medana. The local authorities are also in touch with the Mataram immigration office, to help with extending the visas of the participants of Sail Indonesia, which will expire on September 30.