“Let’s hop off at Kelayan Island. There is a cave there that looks great in pictures,” he said when the boat approached the island one Saturday in mid-December.
On Kelayan Cape, Budi was busy making sure that all the travelers in his group were in his sight. Along the way, he continued to explain all he knew about tourism in Belitung.
Four years ago, Budi opened his own tour and travel company in Belitung. He had previously worked as a model. Local tourism, he said, was quite promising as the number of travelers continued to increase every year.
Belitung Tourism Agency records show that 111,613 travelers visited Belitung in 2012. In 2015, this had risen to 251,440.
This surge in travelers has increased the earnings of those in the industry, including Budi. In the beginning, he could only earn Rp 2 million (US$150) each month. Nowadays, Budi, who was born and raised in Belitung, can earn Rp 5 million a month.
Budi acknowledged that his earnings were still low these days. However, he was sure that they would continue to go up. “One of my colleagues, who has been in the industry for more than ten years, is now earning up to Rp 20 million per month,” Budi said when we were talking in a coffee stall.
To run his business, Budi collaborates with boat owners, restaurant owners and accommodation owners. “I established these collaborations to provide interesting tourism packages for incoming travelers,” he said.
Through his company, Budi offers various travel packages to entice tourists on different budgets. Even for only Rp 500,000 per person, travelers can enjoy tours to several islands in Belitung.
He usually promotes tourism spots on the northern shores of Belitung, including Lengkuas Island, Kelayan Cape, Tanjung Tinggi Beach, Pasir Island and Batu Belayar Island.
The presence of a lighthouse on Lengkuas Island is a major point of attraction. The 70-meter lighthouse is a favorite among travelers. Heri Santoso, 34, a lifeguard on Lengkuas Island, said that travelers came to the island to visit the lighthouse built in 1882 almost every day. On weekends, the number of travelers could reach 200 people a day.
They wanted to see Belitung’s marine beauty from a height after climbing 313 stairs to reach the top of the lighthouse.
Seeing an opportunity, the locals now sell young coconuts on the island. After coming down from the lighthouse, travelers usually rest while enjoying the refreshing fruit.
Improved access
Seeing the huge tourism potential, the Belitung regency administration is making efforts to improve transportation access and to add more tourism spots. The regency’s tourism agency head, Hermanto, said that tourism was officially named a strategic sector to boost the local economy, along with maritime and fisheries and transportation industries, in 2013.
Beyond its natural beauty, Belitung also has a unique local culture, including traditional dances such as campak, sepen and beripat. Belitung is also famous for its culinary wonders, including lempah (fish or beef cooked with sour fruits and vegetables), rusip (ground chili sauce with fermented anchovies) and coffee.
Domestic tourists, Hermanto said, came from across the country, mostly from Bandung and Jakarta. Foreign travelers mostly came from Singapore, Malaysia and China.
In 2017, Hermanto said, the agency targeted attracting 300,000 travelers. The target was 275,000 in 2016 and as of September, 204,936 travelers had come.
To improve access, the government will soon open an international airport. “The construction was started in 2014. We hope it will be completed in 2017,” Hermanto said.
Currently, the island has direct flight connections with Jakarta, Palembang, Bangka and Batam. When the international airport opens, the plan is to push for direct flights to Bandung and Yogyakarta, as well as Malaysia and Singapore.
The regency administration is now encouraging local tour and travel agencies to promote new tourism destinations in southern Belitung, including Batu Baginde, Penyabong Beach, Seliu Island and Tanjung Kiras Beach. “These spots are no less beautiful than the established tourism spots,” Hermanto said.
The local people are also being trained to have adequate tourism skills.
Business loans
Head of the partnership and regional economic development division at the South Sumatra regional office of the Financial Services Authority, Lina, said that the office had continuously encouraged banks to distribute business loans to enterprises that supported the local economy.
As for Belitung, Lina said, productive loans for businesses in the tourist industry would have a great effect on the people’s economy. The loans could be distributed to micro, small and medium enterprise owners, including travel and transportation agencies.
The distribution of micro, small and medium enterprise loans continued to increase year by year. As of October 2016, total loans distributed in Belitung had reached Rp 3.8 trillion, an increase of 22.71 percent from the Rp 3.06 trillion in the same period in 2015. “This signifies continued economic growth in Belitung,” she said.
