Potency Tourism in East Kalimantan

Development is one of duty the government. Development is a necessary in every area in the world. The goal of development is better life for everyone. Every area has their own advantanges to keep standing in development competition. They try to give their best to raise income. Different advatanges makes every area could develop their capability to arrange every potency in their area as source of income.  Government in every area should search what is the advantanges that could give them “better life for everyone”.

East Kalimantan is famous province in Indonesia. East Kalimantan Province is rich cause of agriculuture, mining, and forest sector but it has many potential promised benefits economic, include tourism. Most of reason people who come to east Kalimantan is for getting work, not for tourism. That’s why tourism in east Kalimantan not develop well. East Kalimantan is known as “workplace heaven” not as “great tourism place”.

Spacious East Kalimantan makes it’s rich potency of tourism object such as forest, history, beach, social and culture (dayak community live and palace), rafting, and marine parks. The advatanges is almost 90% exsiting tourism object in east Kalimantan is provided by nature and 10% by made of government to support tourism around the area of tourism. Type of culture is divided to be Culture Tourism, History Tourism, Beach and Sea Tourism, Nature Tourism and Tourism Development Area (or in bahasa “Kawasan Pengembangan Pariwisata).

Most popular Culture Tourism in east Kalimantan is Erau Tradisional Feast in Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara. It has added in National Calender of event. Erau was ceremony in Kutai Kingdom. Erau was always hold every replacement or conoration of kings Kutai. Now, erau presents cultural diversity and artistic that maturate and exist in kutai kartanegara. In History Tourism, East Kalimantan has 4 sultanate. There are Kutai Kingdom, Berau Kingdom, Paser Kingdom and Bulungan Kingdom. Every kingdom has different history and influence culture of people in east Kalimantan. Tourist could visit the heritage building and relics of past each kingdom.

The most famous tourism in east Kalimantan is Derawan Island and Maratua Island in  Berau District. Berau has potency in Beach and Sea Tourism. Berau has many small islands that good to swim and dive. Beside that, so many island in Berau District such Menumbar island, Kakaban Island, Semana Island, Sambit Island, Bakungan Island, and Inaka Island. Around the island, there’s many beautiful coral islands, green turtle, crab walnuts and natural pearls. In Kakaban Island, there’s the largest jellyfish lake in the world. There’s only two jellyfish lake in the world. Jellyfish in kakaban island is tame, not sting diver. The facility in Berau is cottage and diving lorge.

Most of East Kalimantan is covered by forest. It has so many flora and fauna, such as Orchid, orangutan, sunbear, bekantan, turtle, pesut Mahakam, hornbills, Ironwood tree and others, that so coluouring Nature Tourism in east Kalimantan. Tourist could visit national park or protected forest to see the beautiful nature in Kalimantan. Other way to enjoy it with camping around forest, jungle tracking or rafting. Tourism Development Area in east Kalimantan is divided by Urban Development (shopping tourism), Mahakam River (ecotourism), coastal islands (island around east Kalimantan), developing area (in Kutai and Samarinda), rural area (adventuring), coast (beach), state border and border Province (Living Culture and Jungle Tracking).

If we could see the whole potency tourism in east Kalimantan, it should be develop and grow well. The potency is promising a lot of benefits. In reality, The tourism in east Kalimantan is not growing. So many reason why it happens, ungrowing tourism sector in east Kalimantan is nonsense. The causes should be solve as soon as possible. The problem is bad road infrastructure. Bad road infrastructure is main problem in connecting each area in east Kalimantan. Progress in many sector couldn’t make road well. Almost road there is not good, include connecting road samarinda-bontang that both of city is rich by coal and mine gas. Bad road is prevent the development tourism sector there. 

The other problem is the cost, for tourism in east Kalimantan not a cheap trip. If you want to go to derawan island, you have to prepare some money to go there by plane, car and speedboat. Then you have to book a room in hotel, buy to dive there and etc. so, if you want to go there, you have to look for many information that give you a low cost to have great trip there. Some of famous tourism object in east Kalimantan is visited by foreign tourism. Facilities in Derawan and maratua island is managed by foreign investor, like cotteges and diving lorge. 

Managing and developing tourism is not easy, especially for area that has other sector leads. The government of east Kalimantan should solve the problem in tourism sector. First, the government should fix road infrastructure. Many area in east Kalimantan is not connecting by road, some by river or plane. Good infrastructure is not just for tourism, it would affect other sector like ecomony and social. Second, government should attract investor (especially local investor) to invest their money to develop tourism sector. The investor could invest in infrastructure, facility and also packages tourism to give low cost to tourist. Third, promotion of tourism east Kalimantan to whole people in Indonesia and world. The government should show that east Kalimantan has potency and not less to other regions. East Kalimantan leads in nature tourism (sea, forest, and beach). Promotion is a best way to get many tourism to come in east Kalimantan. Foreign tourism is good market but local tourism has a good prospect. 

Tourism is not a main sector in east Kalimantan. Although east Kalimantan has many potency in tourism such culture, history, nature, beach and sea, and also tourism development area. Tourism sector is not develop well there. So many problem that prevents tourism development in east Kalimantan, bad road infrastructure, high cost and low visit local tourist. The problem should be solved to make tourism in east Kalimantan growing. Fix infrastructure, attract investor and promotion is good step to develop tourism sector there. Tourism is not just about enjoying holiday, tourism is also a good sector to welfare the people.  Sector in mining, someday, will be end. Tourism could sustain ecomonic sector in east Kalimantan because the prospect is good.

Bibliography :

Dinas Pariwisata Kaltim. Kaltim Ada 4 Kesultanan. 2010. www.wisatakaltim.com. Dilihat pada 10 Desember 2012 pukul 22.27 WIB

Pengprov Kaltim. Potensi Daerah Pariwisata. 2009. www.kaltimprov.go.id. Dilihat pada 10 Desember 2012 pukul 23.09 WIB 

*ini artikel kemarin buat Final Exam Matkul Bahasa Inggris Lanjut semester 5. semoga bermanfaat ^0^*