Jakarta, IO – The Head of the West Sumatra Regional Leadership Council of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerakan Indonesia Raya – “Gerindra”) Party, Andre Rosiade, expressed his appreciation that the organizers of the Pertamina MotoGP Grand Prix of Indonesia have successfully held the event in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara, 18-20 March. “I thank everyone who has worked so hard to ensure the smoothness and success of MotoGP this year at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, West Nusa Tenggara. National racing teams and racers, as well as all Indonesian citizens, watch and support the event happily,” he stated in Jakarta, on Monday, 21 March.
Andre went on to express his hopes for more prestigious races to be held in Indonesia: “In view of MotoGP Mandalika’s success, I believe that it is time for the Indonesian Government to prepare to host Formula 1 in 2024. We still have two years to prepare for it, and one year to prepare for the next MotoGP Mandalika in 2023. I believe that we have the capacity for it.”
This international sporting event brings in welcome business for West Nusa Tenggara’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, especially for the local creative economy industry. However, there are insufficient boarding facilities (hotels, villas, cottages) around the Mandalika circuit, meaning huge numbers of local and foreign tourists are unable to secure accommodations near the circuit proper.
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“We need 2,000 more rooms in Mandalika – the current 1,000 rooms is insufficient. We believe that we can host the F1 in 2024, which will help promote Indonesian tourism and increase national and regional income from tourism,” he said. “Therefore, we hope that the Government will invite many investors to get these rooms built to support tourism in Mandalika. This will accelerate the recovery of Indonesia’s economy, and our Archipelago becomes even more famous internationally.”
Andre watched the Mandalika MotoGP directly. He even admitted to being stuck several times – both when leaving the circuit to get to the spot where he parked his car, and when he drove himself back to his inn from the Circuit. “Isn’t it only natural? I mean, thousands of people were leaving the circuit simultaneously in cars, buses, bikes. The point is, the whole event was an amazing success. All seats were sold out, everyone was enthusiastic. Getting jammed is just the consequence of organizing a huge, successful event – a phenomenon that I hope can also be addressed in the future,” he said. (rp)