Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Antara Sultra - The local revenue generated from the management of Bokori island tourism in Southeast Sulawesi is only some Rp300 million for the regional treasury in 2017, local Tourism Office Chief Syahruddin Nurdin remarked here, Wednesday.
"Since April this year the Southeast Sulawesi Tourism Office has earned around Rp300 million from rental villas and other lodgings on Bokori island for the local treasury," Nurdin affirmed.
According to Nurdin, the revenue from the management of Bokori cannot be spent directly to increase tourism arrivals on the island, as it must follow the rules, in which all local revenue should be deposited into the regional treasury, and its expenditure should be discussed again and outlined through the regional income and expenditure budgets.
Nurdin said the local Tourism Office continues to raise awareness and promote Bokori in order to increase tourist visits to the island attractions.
"In essence, we hope Bokori Island would become more popular and continue to attract both local and foreign tourists, so it can increase the amount of local revenue," he said.
In addition to familiarizing and promoting the island, Nurdin said he has also invited investors to invest in Bokori island`s tourism.
"Development of tourism attractions in Southeast Sulawesi cannot be carried out by the local government alone, but it needs to be integrated with the private sector and local community," he said.
Bokori Island is being developed into one of the mainstay tourist destinations in the province.
With its scenic beauty, warm waters, and white sandy beaches, Bokori Island is an ideal getaway in Southeast Sulawesi Province for tourists and local residents to unwind.
Hence, the local government has established the Technical Implementation Unit Service (UPTD) to manage Bokori Islands` tourism sector.
As part of its commitment to developing Bokori Island into a tourist destination in the province, the local government has established the UPTD to manage the tourism sector on the island.
The government had allocated a significant amount of funds, through the state and local budgets, to develop Bokori Islands` tourism sector.
