17 Belitung sites get UNESCO global geopark status 3 hours ago
Recognizing their geological, biological, and cultural uniqueness, UNESCO has designated 17 tourist sites on Belitung Island, Bangka Belitung Islands province as global geoparks. (Antara/Aprionis)
The world currently recognizes the 17 tourist sites because of their uniqueness in terms of geology, biology, and culture. Hopefully, (the UNESCO recognition) will increase the number of tourist arrivals in the province. Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung (ANTARA) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 17 sites on Belitung Island, Bangka Belitung Islands province as global geoparks in recognition of their geological, biological, and cultural uniqueness.
For more than a century, the Indonesian island of Belitung has been mined for its tin. But visitors to its boulder-strewn shores will soon discover a wealth of scenic splendor and just-caught seafood to bootânot to mention the comforts of a new five-star beach resort.
Photographs by Christopher P. Hill
Left to right: A view of the beach at Pulau Lengkuas from atop the islandâs 19th-century lighthouse; a covered pathway leading to Sheraton Belitungâs Island Restaurant.
âItâs as beautiful as the Seychelles, but a lot more affordable,â says Frenchman Thierry Bratic as I follow his gaze along the empty beach toward a headland piled with smooth granite boulders. Heâs not the first person to make the comparison with that distant Indian Ocean archipelago; Belitung, situated at the confluence of the South China and Java Seas, has worn the âSeychelles of Indonesiaâ epithet for a while now, especially since its starring role in the hit 2008 Indon