Indonesia hopes to double the number of tourists that visit from other nations by 2019. This year, the island nation will launch an initiative to upgrade several tourist destinations around the archipelago in a bid to lure tourists to destinations other than Bali.

Top Diving Destinations

• Lake Toba (North Sumatra),
• Tanjung Kelayang (Belitung),
• Tanjung Lesung (Banten),
• Thousand Islands (Jakarta),
• Borobudur Temple (Magelang),
• Mount Bromo (East Java), Mandalika (South Lombok),
• Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara),
• Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi), and
• Morotai (North Maluku).

Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism has added Komodo Island as one of the major marine tourist destinations. Other primary destinations include:

• Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi,
• Derawan in East Kalimantan,
• Raja Empat in Papua,
• Nias in North Sumatra,
• Mentawai in West Sumatra,
• Ujung Kulon in West Java,
• Anak Krakatau in Sunda Strait,
• Tomini in Central Sulawesi, and
• Bali West Nusa Tenggara
• Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara.

“The islands are the foundation of the blueprint for marine tourism development as we promote Indonesia,” Welly Rame Rohimone, acting head of the provincial tourism and creative economy office, said.

Komodo Island, the natural habitat of the Komodo dragon (Varanus kommodoensis), has been selected as one of the new seven Wonders of Nature. The tourist area is ideal for diving and cruise tourism. The Komodo dragon in Komodo National Park can be found on the islands of Rinca, Padar and Komodo. Komodo Island, with a land area of 390 square kilometers, has a population of over 2,000. The island has a beach with sand that appears pink as it contains a mixture of white sand and red sand, formed from pieces of Foraminifera.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country is comprised of more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Learn more about Indonesia.

Get the most from your trip with the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia. Learn where to go and what to say. Thousands of islands. Hundreds of cultures. One book. Watch our Indonesian tutorial.

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