Taiwan Indonesia cooperation to develop tourism in Morotai, Maluku

A Taiwanese agency is planning to send a personnel training expert to the Indonesian island of Morotai, the site of a collaborative development project between the two countries, the agency responsible for the program said yesterday. 


“We will send a project manager to start a training course to develop local manpower for the tourism and travel industry,” said Lee Pai-po, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF).

The manager will arrive in early February to provide training on hotel management and tourism promotion, Lee said at a regular news briefing.

Tourism is a major industry on Morotai, he said, adding that Indonesia is planning a special economic zone on the island.

TaiwanICDF has been commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be Taiwan's operating agency for the joint development project with Indonesia. Its counterpart on the Indonesian side is the Jacabaka company.

Both organizations are set to hold a meeting in the coming months to discuss further details on the development in Morotai, Lee said.

The development project will likely center around fishing and eco-tourism, considering Morotai's abundant coral reefs and other natural resources, TaiwanICDF has indicated.
Taiwan and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2012 covering the joint development of Morotai, the largest island of the resource-rich Maluku archipelago in eastern Indonesia.

The island, located 2,600 kilometers from Taiwan, has a population of some 50,000 and an area of about 2,400 square kilometers.(ChinaPost)