ENVOY ASKS PROMOTION OF TAKABONERATE IN NETHERLANDS

Makassar, July 22 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands Yunus Effendy Habibie asked the regional government of South Sulawesi to promote in the Netherlands South Sulawesi's Takabonerate, the world's third most beautiful marine park.

"The Dutch like marine tourism, especially if the marine park they are visiting has millions of species of marine biota and its environment is clean and beautiful," the ambassador said here on Wednesday.

Habibie, in a meeting with South Sulawesi Deputy Governor Agus Arifin Nu'mang, urged the regional government to immediately conduct the promotion in an effort to increase the number Dutch tourists to South Sulawesi.

Takabonerate marin park is located in the Selayar island district, South Sulawesi province.

He said that the Dutch tourists were also expected to conduct a nostalgic visit, particularly those who were once assigned in South Sulawesi during the Dutch colonial era period about 70 years ago.

"Takabonerate, including the Tanatoraja about 315 km northeast of Makassar, is an interesting tourist object for the Dutch," Habibie who is also a younger brother of former president BJ Habibie said.

He said that South Sulawesi, could also promote its cacao product in the Netherlands which needed the commodity as a mixture material in the production of snacks such as candies.

Deputy governor Arifin Nu'mang welcomed the suggestion, saying his side would send officials from the tourism service and their partners from the tourism industry like travel bureaus to explore opportunities in that country.

The Takabonerate marine park in Selayar island could be reached with a speed boat in two to four hours from Makassar, or by air from Sultan Hasanuddin international airport to Selayar's Aroeppala airport in 45 minutes.

Deputy head of Selayar district, Nurhayati Aroeppala said on a different occasion that so far Takabonerate had been visited by many local tourists only from neighboring districts or neighboring provinces such as Bulukumba (South Sulawesi), Surabaya (East Java), East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara provinces.*