Zubair Qureshi
Labuan Bajo (Flores Island)
Indonesia prides itself in some of the top touristic attractions of the world and its 17,000 islands offer the global tourists amazing scenes, captivating sights, trekking paths, snorkeling points, transparent blue waters and awe-inspiring beaches.
Unfortunately, majority of the Pakistanis have either a little or no information about the abundant natural beauty and scenic charm of the country and they continue to visit and revisit old spots they have been visiting in holidays for decades.
While accompanying the participants of the Familiarization Trip (FAMTRIP 2019) “Wonderful Indonesia” organized by the Indonesian embassy in Islamabad for the Pakistani journalists and social media influencers, Ambassador of Indonesia Iwan Suyudhie Amri briefed them about Indonesian islands being the country’s main attraction for the tourists across the world.
He said though a number of Pakistani tourists visited Indonesian islands every year yet the number was far less than those who come to spend their vacation in Indonesia from all over the world.
Being the largest Muslim population country and a republic, Indonesia has many things in common with Pakistan, said Ambassador Amri. Pakistani tourists will face neither any cultural issue nor concern about food that is served Halal here. Moreover, Indonesians regard Pakistanis as their brethren and our relations in 1960s were exemplary and there used to be more exchanges of people, students and traders than in the coming years, said the ambassador.
We need to reinvigorate that spirit of the 1960s and meet the global challenges like climate change, population, poverty and unemployment jointly, said the ambassador.
Ambassador Amri after taking over charge of the Indonesian mission in Islamabad in 2016 has initiated a number of programmes that aim at bringing closer people of the two countries through trade, tourism, education and cultural exchange. “Last week, I have held a meeting with my Pakistani counterpart here in Jakarta and it has been agreed that like Pakistani students who are studying in Indonesian universities, Indonesian students too would be studying in the Pakistani students,” said the ambassador.
“This is indeed a great achievement of both the countries as I consider Pakistani universities centres of excellence and Pakistani youths and students highly talented,” said the ambassador.
The ambassador and his wife accompanied the FAMTRIP participants to Flores Island from Jakarta. Flores Island is situated in the east of Indonesia and Labuan Bajo is one of its main cities. Once a shipping town, Labuan Bajo is now a popular tourists’ destination and serves as the gateway for visit to the nearby Komodo Island and Rinca Island, both home to the famous Komodo dragons and Pink Beach, a popular snorkeling resort.
Ambassador Amri said though we are heading towards three top-rated points in Flores—Padar Island, Rinca (also Komodo) Island and Pink Beach—yet in the same cluster of islands are located Lombok and Senggigi islands that have their own attractions.
The Indonesian government he said has announced a number of incentives for the investors to invest here and develop these islands and generate huge revenue. One cannot help agreeing to Ambassador Iwan S Amri’s views as there is an influx of tourists in these islands all heading from one island to the other to explore its special feature.
Padar island for example is famous for its trekking track that goes up to the top of the hill, Pink Beach, is known for blue waters, pink sand and above all for surfers and snorkeling and the Komodo island perhaps is the most sought-after tourist destination in the area because of the existence of the Komodo dragons. The Komodo National Park was listed as UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 1991. It is home to fascinating wildlife, both on land and underwater.
