Maritime Minister Visits Lampung Museum

Bandarlampung, (Antara/ANTARA BPJ-Bogor    ) - The Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Environment Dwisuryo Indroyono Susilo visited the Lampung Museum and the Tanjungkarang Heroes' Cemetery (TMP) in Bandarlampung, Lampung province on Friday.

He was accompanied by Lampung Governor Muhammad Ridho Ficardo, and the minister took stock of the museum's collections, and the biography of the national hero, Major General (Ret) HR Mohammad Mangundiprojo, who was also his grandfather.

"I just wanted to see how good the museum is. Its collection is very interesting and significant for our historical heritage," Indroyono remarked.

The minister expressed optimism about the fact that the museum can serve as a historical tourism asset that would attract both domestic and foreign tourists.

Indroyono also encouraged the Lampung provincial administration to intensively develop and promote the tourism sector in the province.

"Lampung is very famous across the world because of the Krakatau island volcano, one of the most fascinating sites globally; and for agricultural commodities, such as pepper and coffee," he noted.

Given its central location, the Krakatau islands are accessible both from Jakarta through the province of Banten, and from Bandarlampung, the capital of the Lampung province.

The Krakatau islands are comprised of three small and beautiful islands: Rakata, Panjang, and Serdang.

The minister noted that besides Krakatau, Lampung also has many other tourist attractions that have to be developed properly in order to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

In an effort to boost the number of tourist visits, the minister said the government will allow international cruise ships to pass through Lampung and anchor near the tourist attractions in the province. 

"The government will allow the cruise ships to make a port call in Lampung for three or four days to enable the tourists to see as many tourist attractions as possible in the province," he remarked.

Besides, the minister noted that the infrastructure and other supporting facilities on the islands should be improved in order to facilitate tourists' journey to their desired destinations in Lampung.

"Good roads and transportation, electricity, and security must be improved so that the tourists visiting these tourist spots can enjoy the experience and feel at home," the minister stated.