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The Tourism Ministry is targeting the construction of a Marine Tourism Marina in Sorong City, Southwest Papua Province to support Raja Ampat tourism. Tourism Ministry Bayu Aji stated in Sorong City on May 29, 2025, that the marina's construction is expected to improve accessibility and comfort for tourists who want to visit Raja Ampat, and at the same time strengthen local economic growth.
"Sorong City is the gateway to Raja Ampat, so the construction of this marina is very important to support tourism in this region," he said.
Bayu added that the Marine Tourism Marina would be the site to dock for all large ships that want to travel to Raja Ampat.
"So large ships do not enter Raja Ampat again, but dock at the Marine Tourism Marina. Then [tourists] use small ships to Raja Ampat so as not to damage the marine ecosystem there," he explained.
Bayu, Tourism Ministry Destination and Infrastructure Development Deputy Hariyanto, as well as Southwest Papua Youth, Sports, Tourism, and Creative Economy Office (Disporaparekraf) Head Yusdi Lamatenggo had visited to see firsthand the location that will be used as the construction site for the Marine Tourism Marina, which was previously used by state-owned enterprise (SOE) PT Usaha Mina and currently utilized by PT Perikanan.
"At present, there are many regulations that we have to study because this land still belongs to an SOE. We hope that the Southwest Papua Governor can lobby the SOEs Ministry regarding the location," Bayu informed.
In addition, the Tourism Ministry will soon propose the Marine Tourism Marina development plan to the National Development Planning (PPN) Ministry/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas). Development will proceed once the project received Bappenas and the Indonesian House of Representatives approval.
"We will [also have] to learn more about the land for the construction of the Marine Tourism Marina, because this land does not belong to the province but to an SOE," he said.
The Tourism Ministry has also begun proposing the Marine Tourism Marina development budget to the World Bank as an effort to find other sources of funding without having to rely on the state or regional budget amid the ongoing government budget austerity.
"Because there is indeed an offer from the World Bank to provide budget support in the tourism sector," he explained.
The Tourism Ministry will also try to communicate with the PPN Ministry/Bappenas to be able to also fund the Marine Tourism Marina development policy, as the funding's allocation must be done in line with with applicable regulations.
Should ownership of the land has been overturned to the Southwest Papua Provincial Government and it has not received state budget allocation, then Tourism Ministry Investment and Industrial Affairs Deputy Rizki Handayani Mustafa is ready to offer it to investors.
"Because it is quite tempting for many investors, but the land is not yet available," Bayu explained.
He expected that, once it is completed, the Marine Tourism Marina development plan would help preserve Raja Ampat's nature by disallowing large shipsto enter the area, and improve the local community's economic conditions as the small ships that would predominate belong to the locals.
