Jakarta (ANTARA) - The designation of four Indonesian geopark sites as UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGG) will bolster the promotion and development of the national tourism and creative economy, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, has said."(The designation) is expected to strengthen our nation's tourism and creative economic promotion and enhance the development of more quality and sustainable Indonesian tourism," he added, according to a statement received here on Friday. The UNESCO designation will make the four tourist sites more attractive to domestic and foreign tourists, thereby helping boost the economy and creating more jobs, which would benefit locals, the minister said. ccording to UNESCO, its global geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed through a holistic concept of protection, education, and sustainable development. Indonesia's four newest UNESCO Global Geoparks are Ijen in East Java, Maros Pengkep in South Sulawesi, Merangin Jambi in Jambi, and Raja Ampat in West Papua. The UNESCO Global Geoparks status was accorded to the four sites during the 216th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris, France, on Wednesday (May 24, 2023). Uno said that his ministry is fully committed to encouraging the promotion of the four new as well as the six existing UGG sites in Indonesia to make them better known and attractive to tourists. The authorities will provide assistance and training to improve human resource quality to ensure that the natural diversity at the geoparks can be maintained, he added. The minister said that efforts would also be optimized to maintain geoparks as geographical areas with significant geological and cultural diversity through actions involving conservation, education, and local economic empowerment.

Source: Antara News Agency