Pangkalpinang – Optimism about the future of tourism in Kepulauan Bangka Belitung Province (Babel) emerged in a podcast themed "The Future of Babel Tourism" held in Pangkalpinang on Wednesday (6/10/2026). The discussion brought together various stakeholders from the tourism and hospitality sectors to talk about opportunities, challenges, and the direction of tourism development in Babel over the next five to ten years.
Representing the Head of the provincial Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Sports office of Babel, Anugrah Gusta Prima, participated as a speaker along with General Manager of Tanjung Pesona Beach Resort Then Yohanes, Secretary of PHRI Bangka Belitung Wendo Irwanto, General Manager of Bangka City Hotel Sumiati, General Manager of Hotel Santika Bangka Krisna, and General Manager of Swiss-Bel Hotel Pangkalpinang Dewi Noviarini. The event was hosted by Edy Yusmanto.
Anugrah explained that the development of Babel's tourism reached an important turning point since the boom of the Rainbow Troops film in 2008, which successfully introduced Babel to a national level. This momentum was then strengthened through the Visit Babel Archipelago program in 2011, which further increased the region's popularity as a tourist destination.
“The film sparked the curiosity of the Indonesian public to get to know Bangka and Belitung. Since then, the tourism sector has grown quite rapidly,” he said.
According to Anugrah, Babel has a major advantage with its beautiful beaches, rich culture, unique cuisine, historical tourism, geoparks, and even sport tourism potential. In addition, the growth in the number of hotels and tourism support facilities has also continued to increase year by year.
