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Padang - Charter boats that do not have a license to take tourists surfing in the Mentawai Regency, West Sumatra will be controlled. In the near future, the Regional Government of Mentawai will operate patrols to check the boats that carry tourists surfing that enter the area without permission.
Head of the Department of Tourism Mentawai, Zulkarlin, said the Mentawai Regional Government will operated the patrols and control all the boats that entered. In his estimate there are about 20 ships that do not have a marine tourism license to operate in Mentawai, they only have permission from the harbour-master to navigate to Mentawai waters.
He stressed, the Mentawai Regional Government did not intend to determine a quota on the number of surfing tourists that arrive. What will be arranged is that all the (licensed) operators of marine tours will receive the same opportunity. The restrictions have been put in place to minimize the risk of collisions between one surfer and another.
"Surfing is an adventure sport but we dont want to see a uncontrolled scramble for every wave, for example if one surfing spot already has a tourist boat in place, the other tourist boats have to wait their turn," said Zulkarlin.
According to Zulkarlin, at this time there are five marine tour companies that have bu licenses to operate surfing businesses in Mentawai, they (collectively) have 30 passenger vessels taking tourists to Mentawai. Each ship pays Rp20 million per year to the Mentawai Regional Government for the moment and Rp30,000 per day for each person.
"From this surfing tourism fee, this year we aimed at an income of around Rp1,2 billion," He said. To accommodate candidates for marine tourism in Mentawai, Zulkarlin suggested that there is a need to revise the Regional Regulations No 16/2002 (PERDA No16 2002) related to marine tourism fees/retribution. "With the stage of development now, possibly this Regional Regulation should be revised, so that all candidates will be able to have the same opportunity, (providing that it is) in accordance with the rule and the current procedures," he said.


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In the meantime, the Head of the Mentawai Department of Income, Finance and Regency Assets (BPKKD), Nurdin, said that last year the fee that was deposited by the maritime tour businesses in Mentawai was around Rp500 million. The prediction is that this total will increase when all the vessels pay the fees. Nurdin estimates that, if in one year approximately 3,000 surfing tourists arrived, and if they, respectively paid Rp30,000 (per day), and most of them stay in the area for 10 days, then the total fee that could be raised, will be around Rp900 million, and that is only the fees for surfers.
For the moment, the Vessel Tax/Fee, will be about Rp600 million per annum, with the assumption, that 30 charter boats that received a license all pay Rp20 million per year. So from the surfing business sector, we can raise at least Rp1,5 billion per year. "He said, there are seven 'exclusive' wave locations where the number of visitors are managed/limited, these are Silabu, in Katiet, in Mapadegat and in Nyang Nyang."
The Mentawai Regional Government plans, said Nurdin, to divide the wave zones into three types, the exclusive zones, where there must pay the fee, the economy price zones that are allocated for beginners and the free zones, where anyone can surf without paying a fee.
In the meantime, Un Suheri (Un), Head of the Mentawai Marine Tourism Association, fully supports the Mentawai Governments plan to control surf boats arriving in Mentawai. Un says that because of the number of unlicensed vessels entering Mentawai without permission, the (licensed) surfing industry is currently depressed and operating at a loss.
The owner of PT. Saraina Koat Mentawai that has six vessels explained, that in the same period last year he had a total of 10 trips, but now he has only two trips. "If previously (each boat) could expect 15 trips a year, now they get at most 3 trips a year," he said. He estimated that proceeds from the surfing industry in Mentawai, is around Rp40 billion a year. However because of many companies that did not have permission and are not paying fees and taxes, the income that was received by the Mentawai Regional Government is not being maximized.

Tags: PEMDA, Mentawai, PERDA, No16, 2002, regulation, Bupati, Tourism, management