Then there are also national and international sea routes at Tanjung Mas harbor, Semarang. All this has enabled Central Java to expand inter-city, inter-island and international marketing and trading networks.
West Sumatera
Tourism is a sector with a big potential to be developed in West Sumatera. It must be underlined, however, that the potential for tourism in this province is not as big as the potential in Bali or Yogyakarta. There are quite varied tourist objects in this province, related to nature, culture or history.
Highly attractive nature-related tourism in West Sumatera include among others: Ngarai Sianok in Bukit Tinggi, Lake Maninjau, Lake Diatas, Lake Dibawah, Lake Singkarang, the waterfall in Anai Valley, Ambun Pagi, Caroline beach, Bumpus beach, Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) and a volcano in Singgalam.
Culture-related tourism covers among others the Japanese cave in Agam and the Royal Palace of Pagarujung in Batusangkar. In 1996, as many as 108,776 foreign tourists visited this province. This figure is quite high and it is expected that Visit Indonesia Year 2008 may restore the tourism glory in West Sumatera.
Riau & Riau Islands
The tourism sector in Riau can be developed further, for example tourist areas of Batam and Bintan as well as other tourist sites, related to nature, culture or history. Riau is home to 380 hotels with a capacity of 14,776 bedrooms and 23,081 beds. Most tourists visit Batam, Tanjung Balai Karimun, Tanjung Uban and Tanjung Pinang. The tourism sector in this province is still highly potential for further development, in particular the tourism related to nature and the sea.
Meanwhile, the province of Riau Islands is the second gateway of tourism for foreign tourists after Bali Island. In 2005, as many as 1.5 million foreign tourists came to this province. The tourist objects in Riau Islands province include among others the beach tourism in various regencies and municipalities.
Melur Beach and Nongsa Beach in Batam municipality, Belawan Beach in Karimun regency, Lagoi Beach, Tanjung Berakit, Trikora Beach and Bintan Leisure Park in Bintan regency. Natura Regency is noted for its sea-related tourism such as snorkeling.
Aside from beach and sea-related tourism, the province of Riau islands is also home to a number of other tourist objects such as a nature reserve, historical tombs, traditional dances and events unique to this region. Penyengat Island in Tanjung Pinang is a historical island because it is home to a historical mosque and the tombs of Raja Haji Fisabililah and Raja Ali Haji, both national heroes.
North Sulawesi
Tourism is one of the potential sectors for North Sulawesi in terms of economic resources. The tourism potential in North Sulawesi is quite mixed among others tourism related to nature, the sea and culture.
The province’s Bunaken Sea National Garden and Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park are potential assets for nature-related tourism in North Sulawesi. As many as 25,225 foreign tourists from Japan, the United States, Holland, France, Britain, Belgium, Canada, South Korea and other countries have visited this province and it has also registered 432,999 domestic tourist arrivals. Many nature-related tourist areas in North Sulawesi province can boast their beautiful panorama.
