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Kupang. Building on the fame of its giant lizards, the East Nusa Tenggara tourism office is looking ahead with a new campaign to draw at least a million tourists to the province in 2013.

The campaign aims to attract visitors to the islands of Flores, Sumba, Timor and Alor, with the names of these islands combined under the tongue -twisting slogan “Visit Flobamora 2013.”

Speaking at the launch of the campaign on Saturday, NTT governor Frans Lebu Raya called on all district and municipal heads, as well as local state-owned companies and the public, to prepare cultural events for the year.

He asked each district and municipality to hold a monthly event in 2013.

“If we have interesting events, we can be sure that tourists will want to stay longer in NTT,” Frans said.

Head of NTT tourism promotion, Ubaldus Gogi, said the target of one million tourists was based on the growing number of airlines and ships now linking the once-remote province to the outside.

He said the hospitality sector was also experiencing rapid growth, and that the province had enjoyed good security conditions in recent years.

Frans said the province was hoping to build on the attention brought to NTT by the inclusion of the Komodo National Park among the top 14 finalists of the vote-based New 7 Wonders of Nature competition. Winners will be announced in 2011.

“We are hoping that the Komodo National Park, featuring the Varanus Komodoensis [Komodo Dragon], will be listed among the new seven [natural] wonders of the world,” Frans said.

He said that besides the Komodo park, the province also boasts the Kelimutu tricolor volcanic lakes and various interesting traditions, including whale hunting.