Mamasa (B2B) - Sumarorong Airport in Mamasa District, West Sulawesi was inaugurated by Indonesian  Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono, Selasa (11/3).

"This airport aims to strengthen economic connectivity as part of fair distribution of development," Bambang Susantono said in his opening address.

He noted that with the ease of flow of goods and passengers to Mamasa by way of air transportation, the economic development in the region can be strengthened.

He added that the Sumarorong airport was expected to ease the access to Mamasa district, which is situated in a mountainous area, and which takes about 8 hours to reach by overland transport from Makassar city in South Sulawesi.

"But with air transportation, following the operation of Sumarorong airport, it will only take one hour from the same city," he elaborated.

According to Bambang, the airport was built at a cost of Rp107 billion from the state budget, but its runway will be extended.

"We are going to extend the Sumarorong airports runway from 900 meters to 1.2 thousand meters in 2014 to increase the number of flights because the number of passengers is expected to increase," the deputy transportation minister noted.

The opening of Sumarorong airport is expected to end the isolation of Mamasa district and open it to other regions on Sulawesi Island and beyond.

Sumarorong airport is part of the four mega projects in West Sulawesi province, namely a 23-kilometer arterial road project to link the governors office and the Tampapadang airport in Mamuju, a 300-megawatt steam powered electricity plant at the cost of Rp10 trillion in the Belang Belang port of Mamuju, a Rp231 billion hospital project to serve as a referral hospital in the province, and a fuel depot at the Belang-Belang port to supply fuel oil for the population of West Sulawesi.

West Sulawesi Governor Adnan Saleh stated that the inauguration of Sumarorong airport had been scheduled for March 10, in conjunction with the anniversary of Mamasa district.

The governor noted that the airport is expected to attract investors and boost development in the Mamasa district.

Governor Adnan Saleh was optimistic that the airport will serve return flights operating between the West Sulawesi provincial city of Mamuju and Makassar city in South Sulawesi.

He explained that the airports construction, which was funded through the state budget, is capable of serving flights operating on the Mamuju-Mamasa-Makassar route.

"The central government plans to operate the Sumarorong airport by building its terminal, and then employing the required human resources to run it," the governor pointed out.

He noted that the opening of the airport will boost tourism in the Mamasa district, which is known for its tourist attractions.

Meanwhile, the Mamasa District Head Ramlan Badawi said the tourism potential in the district will be optimized to support regional revenues.

"Mamasa, as a tourist destination in West Sulawesi, can be advanced that must be supported by all the parties here," Ramlan said.

With Mamasa district chosen as a regional tourism development site in West Sulawesi, he said intensive promotion would be made, both at the national and international levels.

"We are going to intensively promote the tourism potential in the district in a bid to attract as many domestic and foreign tourists as possible," he added.

Therefore, he hoped the government would provide financial assistance for the development of supporting infrastructure facilities in Mamasa.

"With the financial assistance from central and provincial governments, we can build infrastructure that supports tourism, such as road access to the tourist areas," he noted.

Mamasa district has a number of tourist attractions, such as Mamasa Valley, which is also referred to as West Tana Toraja and is known for its traditional ceremonies and local handicrafts.

Ramlan said the Mamasa Valley can be best explored on foot by visitors to enjoy the scenery and views at a slow pace.

The surrounding countryside is nothing short of idyllic, and if visitors are planning to travel any distance, it is advisable to hire a motorcycle or car to enjoy the view of Mamasa Valley and the attractions of the Gunung Mambulilin mountain peak, the hot springs at Kole, village life in Loko, the cascading waterfall of Mambulilin Sarambu, and the jungle walks around Taupe.

"No wonder tourism in Mamasa has a great potential to increase regional revenues to raise the local peoples standard of living," he said.

Mamasa district residents in the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi can now breathe a sigh of relief after their area has been made accessible by air transportation.

Situated about 340 kilometers from the city of Makassar, Mamasa district is a six-hour journey by overland transportation from the town of Parepare, the integrated economic development center in South Sulawesi.

However, with the operation of the Sumarorong airport in the district now, people of Mamasa need not have to spend a lot of time on travel from one place to another by overland transportation, since they can fly instead.