WEST BANGKA -- The Province of the Bangka Belitung Islands has two Indonesian Tin Museums located in Pangkalpinang City and in Muntok, West Bangka Regency.
As the name implies, the Indonesian Tin Museum presents various kinds of history of tin mining in Indonesia and Bangka Belitung ranging from mining equipment, and mining processes to the technology used.
The Muntok and Pangkalpinang Indonesian Tin Museums, which are managed by PT Timah Tbk, have become tourist destinations in Pangkalpinang and Muntok.
In West Bangka, the Muntok Indonesian Tin Museum (MTI) is one of the tourist destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists.
Throughout September 2022, visits to MTI Muntok reached 1123 people. Visitors who come to MTI Muntok are dominated by students and university students.
Apart from Bangka Island, MTI Muntok was also visited by tourists from Jakarta, Bandung, Bengkulu, Palembang, Aceh, Surabaya, and foreign tourists from Germany.
The visitors come to MTI for various purposes such as study tours, research, and travel.
Chairman of the Muntok Timah Museum, Fakhrizal Abubakar, said that since it opened after the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been visits to the Museum almost every day.
"Museum visits have now returned to normal, due to the easing of Covid-19 imposed by the Government," he said.
At the beginning of October, there were already visitors from abroad, namely from the United States and France who came to MTI Muntok.
"This October, the Museum also received visits from three foreign guests, who are families of victims of world war 2. Their goal is to know about events during World War 2, in which the city of Muntok is a witness to history," said Fakhrizal.
Meanwhile, the Head of the West Bangka Tourism and Culture Office, Muhamad Ali, acknowledged that the presence of the Indonesian Tin Museum (MTI) supports tourists visiting West Bangka.
"MTI Muntok strongly supports tourism and culture in West Bangka, especially since the museum's position is strategically located in the center of Muntok city.
Yesterday it was closed, it was enough to make us nervous because MTI is the biggest contributor to the number of West Bangka tourist visits. Moreover, the most complete history of tin is at MTI," said Ali.
Ali said that his party also often directs tourists to visit MTI Muntok.
"The contribution of the Museum is very significant and its influence for tourism in West Bangka," he said.
