Jakarta – According to Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno, the 2022 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) G-Land Pro event on Plengkung Beach in Banyuwangi, East Java, will assist promote Indonesian tourism in the international market.
Millions of fans will watch the championship via streaming platforms from all over the world, as the WSL has become one of the most prestigious surfing league events on a global scale, according to Uno.
“After the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL/US football league), WSL has the third-highest social engagement for athletic events, even beating MotoGP, which is in ninth place,” the minister said in Jakarta on Saturday.
The WSL competition will take place from May 28 until June 6, 2022. Uno expressed his hope that the activities will help revitalize the tourism industry and the creative economy.
The event is projected to enhance surfers’ duration of stay as well as the quality of their spending, affecting tourism’s comeback, he noted.
Sports tourism, according to Dessy Ruhati, director of national and international events at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, is a part of profitable, qualified tourism because the target market is very particular and well-segmented.
According to the official, the sports-based tourism sector contributes for 5% of total revenue from the travel and tourist industry.
“We may use sports-based tourism to produce qualified tourism. This is part of the Indonesian tourism product range, which is constantly being developed and diversified “Ruhati stated.
Arya Sena Subyakto, chairperson of the executive board of the Indonesian Surfing Association (PB PSOI), stated that the WSL event is unusual since it is being held within the Alas Purwo National Park, which has several zones.
In the middle of the water, a judge tower has also been created for judges.
G-Land features some of the finest waves in the world, ranging up to two kilometers, he said.
“Not all surfing tournament locations have a judge tower in the middle of the water, and (such towers) are now only in Tahiti and Fiji,” Subyakto explained.
The World Surf League event will be televised on the website www.worldsurfleague.com or via its app, which can be downloaded via the Android or IOS application.
Source: Antara
