Belitung, Bangka Belitung (ANTARA) – Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Unohas recommended that the delegates of the 43rd ASEAN Summit visit Belitung, Bangka Belitung Islands, which offers beautiful tourist destinations and has air quality.”I recommend Belitung as a post-event trip destination for delegates of the 43rd ASEAN Summit,” he said in Tanjung Pandan, BelitungDistrict, on Sunday. ccording to him, most of the delegates have arrived in Jakarta, to attend the summit that will be held on September 5-7, 2023. In May, Indonesia had held the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. In its chairmanship of ASEAN this year, Indonesia is raising the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”. “Most of the ASEAN delegates have arrived and when I met them, some of them asked where they should go (for post-summit trip), I told them Belitung,” he said. Uno said Belitung has a UNESCO-recognized Global Geopark (UGG) because of its rich geological diversity, such as natural landscapes, rocks, minerals, and geological and tectonic plates. “Belitung has a mix of culture, biology, and geography that are interrelated,” he said. In addition, unique plants and animals, such as toman fish (giant snakehead), hampala fish, tarsius fish, and herbal plants, live in Belitung. The minister expressed hope that the ASEAN Summit will be successful. “All ministries will be involved in this ASEAN Summit which is only two days away. Some 24 heads of state will attend. We want it to be successful like the holding of the G20 summit,” he said. He also expected that the summit will have a positive impact on people’s economic growth. “We expect an increase in the economy, including the hotel room occupancy rates that have reached above 60 percent,” he said.

Source: Antara News Agency