Indonesia’s Bangka Belitung Islands to Champion Experience Tourism

KOMPAS.com – Blessed with natural beauty and dreamy coastlines, Belitung is ready to offer experience tourism to travelers in search of a distinctive recreation.

Tourism in the Belitung islands has been promising since the government and residents switched gears from a mining area to a tourist destination in Indonesia.

The islands’ fledgling growth coupled with its natural surroundings give the government an opportunity to offer a new way of traveling via experience tourism.

Belitung’s Deputy Regent Isyak Meirobie said that the purpose of the new form of traveling is for tourists to enjoy the islands’ picturesque beauty while experiencing something unique.

Read also: Belitung’s Transformation from a Mining Area to Idyllic Tourist Destination in Indonesia

In September, farmers on the island suffered a massive economic hit when the price of pepper dropped to its lowest rate at Rp 45,000 – Rp 50,000 per kilogram.

Turning this problem into an opportunity, the provincial government and regency of Bangka Belitung came up with an idea to sell pepper as a souvenir.

The Deputy Regent shared that the government pitched a tourist-focused idea that would allow travelers to handle the tools the region’s farmers typically use and make it ‘Instagrammable’ to generate social media attention.

Visitors of this tourist destination in Indonesia can also bring home a range of pepper products that have been uniquely wrapped or opt for a pepper-based body treatment product.

Read also: Spice Tourism: An Homage to the Storied Past of Indonesian Spices

The role of society

Experience tourism is an extension of the local residents’ desire to advance its tourism sector by having a hands-on approach.

Isyak said that in the past, most of the islands’ residents had very little involvement in developing the Indonesian tourist destination or only stood back and watched. That can all change if experience tourism takes off.

Last month, the region had the advantage of having relatively few Covid-19 cases compared to other parts of Indonesia and it still does.

As of October 29, Bangka Belitung Islands have 573 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 510 recoveries and seven deaths.