All members and operators are invited to a meeting at 2pm Saturday, 3rd of May at Bumi Minang Hotel. Please see the attached notification of meeting.

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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 60 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.

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.

PadangKini.com | Rabu, 30/4/2008, 11:11 WIB

PADANG - Kapal pesiar yang tidak memiliki izin membawa turis surfing ke Kepulauan Mentawai, Sumatera Barat akan ditertibkan. Dalam waktu dekat, Pemerintah Kabupaten Mentawai akan melakukan patroli untuk memeriksa kapal yang membawa turis surfing yang masuk tanpa izin.

Kepala Dinas Pariwisata Mentawai, Zulkarlin mengatakan Pemkab Mentawai akan melakukan patroli dan mengontrol kapal yang masuk. Dalam perkiraannya ada 60 kapal tidak memiliki izin usaha bahari di Mentawai, izin yang dimiliki hanya izin syahbandar untuk memasuki perairan Mentawai.

Ia menegaskan, Pemkab Mentawai tidak bermaksud menentukan kuota jumlah turis surfing yang datang. Yang akan dilakukan hanya mengatur agar semua pelaku wisata bahari bisa mendapat kesempatan sama.

Pembatasan itu untuk menghindari agar tidak terjadi tabrakan antara satu surfer (peselancar) dengan surfer lainnya.

"Surfing itu kan olahraga adventure, tentu jangan sampai terjadi rebutan ombak,misalkan di satu spot ombak sudah ada kapal turis yang masuk, maka kapal lainnya harus menunggu," kata Zulkarlin.

Menurut Zulkarlin, saat ini ada lima perusahaan bahari yang memiliki izin usaha surfing di Mentawai, mereka memiliki 30 kapal pengangkut turis ke Mentawai. Setiap kapal membayar Rp20 juta per tahun kepada Pemkab Mentawai sementara untuk tiap turis yang datang, dikutip bayaran Rp30 ribu per orang per hari.

"Dari retribusi wisata surfing itu, tahun ini kita menargetkan pendapatan sekitar Rp1,2 miliar," katanya.

Untuk mengakomodir pelaku usaha bahari di Mentawai, Zulkarlin menilai perlunya revisi Perda 16 / 2002  tentang retribusi wisata bahari. "Dengan perkembangan sekarang, mungkin perda itu mesti direvisi, kalau bisa semua pelaku usaha bisa mendapat kesempatan yang sama, sesuai aturan dan prosedur yang berlaku," katanya.

Sementara itu, Kepala Bidang Pendapatan Badan Pengelola Keuangan dan Kekayaan Daerah (BPKKD) Mentawai, Nurdin mengatakan, tahun lalu retribusi yang disetor pengusaha wisata bahari di Mentawai sekitar Rp500 juta. Jumlah itu diperkirakan bisa meningkat bila semua kapal yang masuk membayar retribusi.

Nurdin menghitung, jika dalam setahun ada sekitar 3.000 turis surfing yang datang, masing-masing membayar Rp30 ribu, dan biasanya mereka ada di lokasi 10 hari maka total retribusi yang bisa didapat, sekitar Rp900 juta, itu baru retribusi untuk surfer.
Sementara dari retribusi kapal, didapat Rp600 juta pertahun, dengan asumsi, 30 kapal yang mendapat izin membayar Rp20 juta per tahun. Jadi dari bisnis surfing, setidaknya didapat Rp1,5 miliar pertahun.

"Ia mengatakan , ada tujuh spot ombak ekslusif yang harus dibatasi pengunjungnya diantaranya di Silabu, di Katiet, di Mapadegat dan di Nyang-Nyang".

Rencananya Pemkab Mentawai, kata Nurdin, akan membagi zona ombak menjadi tiga, zona ekslusif, dimana disana harus membayar retribusi, zona ekonomis yang diperuntukkan bagi pemula dan zona bebas, siapapun bisa surfing dan tidak ditarik bayaran.

Sementara itu, Ketua Mentawai Marine Tourism Assosiation (MMTA) Anom Suheri UN, mendukung upaya Pemkab menertibkan kapal surfing ke Mentawai.

Menurut Anom, karena banyaknya kapal yang masuk ke Mentawai tanpa izin, kini bisnis surfing lesu dan merugi. Pemilik PT. Saraina Koat Mentawai yang memiliki enam kapal pesiar ini mengatakan, jika pada periode yang sama tahun lalu ia sudah bisa mengangkut turis 10 trip, sekarang ia baru mengangkut dua trip saja.

"Jika dulu bisa 15 trip setahun, sekarang paling 3 trip setahun," katanya. Ia memperkirakan, dari bisnis surfing di Mentawai, uang yang berputar ada sekitar Rp40 miliar setahun. Namun karena banyak perusahaan yang tidak memiliki izin dan membayar retribusi, pendapatan yang diperoleh Pemkab Mentawai tidak maksimal.(oca)