Will flying into Sorong become my lob preference?

[Dan]

Interesting times. Indo Govt has signed agreements and $ committed to "develop 10 new balis" from Aus and who knows how many other investors and governments.

Banda Neira having an expanded airport....Wasai perhaps might get an international one in times to come. Sorong port is overcrowded...RA is dangerously becoming overcrowded.

I read a paper on tourism expansion plans for Indo - "greater accessibility for the boutique cruise ship market" - Made me raise an eyebrow.

Guess we are all just going to have to sit here and wait...you never know..LAX to Wasai direct with a Starbucks, McDonalds and 7/11 in the airport with a conveniently located Marriott/ramada/Hilton with infinity pool for that night before boarding your LOB.

Here comes more sources of Plastic Ocean, Trash, trash, trash

 

[billt4sf]

I have heard about this at a couple resorts in RA. The rationale that has been told to me is that, as Sorong is not part of the Raja Ampat regency (I may be using the wrong term here), the local people do not benefit from the LOB business that RA generates. A second rationale is that Sorong has been developed as a business port (with tourism added as an afterthought, and Wasai is to be developed as a tourist port, with the LOBs going in and out of Wasai, and flights going to Wasai instead of So Wrong.

The issue in my mind is whether the Indo gov't develops RA as a mass tourism area or a specialized tourism area. I know that people at Misool Eco Resort say that they have heard that there have been discussions of a mass tourism site not terribly far from MER.

- Bill