Ambon set to host international yacht rallies: Sail Banda 2010

Friday, 5 February 2010

The Jakarta Post

Once a site of a year-long sectarian conflict, the city of Ambon in Maluku province is set to show its secure condition by hosting an international marine event this year.

The Sail Banda 2010 will kick off July 24 with a yacht rally.

Around 200 boats will set sail from Darwin, Australia. The first leg will finish on Banda Islands, the second leg will commence from Banda to Ambon and the third will be to Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi.

The event will also include international and national conferences, an international symposium and other activities.

The Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare will also hold a civic mission by providing, among others, free healthcare services, cataract operations and vaccines for toddlers.

The funding for the event mostly comes from the state budget, with around Rp 20 billion (US$2 million) coming from the Coordinating Public Welfare Ministry and Rp 9.5 billion from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.

“The Maluku provincial government has also provided Rp 12 billion for the event,” Aji Sularso, director general for resource supervision and control at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, said during the Sail Banda 2010 launch in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The funding from the province is being used to prepare the needed facilities in Maluku, while the money disbursed by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is for activities. The coordinating ministry office is preparing the funding for ship fuel and the civic mission.

He said that the event aimed to make Maluku a tourism gateway to eastern Indonesia by promoting its historical and maritime beauty.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said he sought to develop Maluku’s potential in fishery and other marine products through the event.

He said he targeted the province to be a fish production center.

“Maluku holds large potential in this area,” he said.

Maluku governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said his province produced 32 percent of the national fish production, or around 10 million tons in 2009.

Maluku, he said, could still boost its production to contribute 50 percent of domestic production.

“With the Sail Banda we hope to improve our tourism sector.

“An event of this scale is sure to bring investors to our province, in fact, chain hotel group Aman is set to turn historical houses [in Banda Islands] into an international class resort, which will probably be the most expensive in the world,” he added.

Garuda Indonesia is also set to open a route from Denpasar, Bali, to Ambon.

“The needed infrastructure in Maluku and Ambon is almost ready. We have completed building the facilities including a hotel, an international airport and seaport. Hopefully it will all be ready in July,” he said.