Saturday, February 19, 2011

VISIT MAKASSAR YEAR 2011 NEEDS MORE PROMOTION by Ahmad Buchori and Fardah

     Jakarta, Feb. 19, 2011 (ANTARA) - The capital city of South Sulawesi Province, Makassar, has again launched a "Visit Makassar Year 2011" program to attract domestic and foreign tourists, but the event seems to lack promotion.
     There are more banners about political activities than those promoting the tourism event in the city`s streets. Pictures of the Visit`s mascot, a cock wearing traditional Makassar costume, are hardly seen at the city`s hotels and restaurants.

     Many of the city`s residents seem to be unaware of the Visit Makassar Year 2001 program which actually would consist of 70 activities.
     The 70 activities which had started since January 2011, include cultural and art performances, sports events, and traditional cultural festivals.
      "We have prepared the 70 events seriously, because we don`t want them to be merely ceremonial," Makassar Cultural and Tourism Service Head Rusmayani Madjid said late last year.
     Makassar Mayor Ilham Arif Sirajuddin said recently that during the Visit Makassar Year 2011, at least one international-scale activity would be held every month.
      One of the most interesting international event planned to be held in August this year is Sail Makassar.
      Makassar, formerly called Ujung Pandang, has a number of interesting tourist objects such as Al Markaz Al Islami Grand Mosque, Fort Rotterdam, Fort Somba Opu and beautiful beaches like Losari and Akarena.
     Al Markaz Al Islami mosque, which literally means the Headquarters of Islam, is of the most luxurious mosques in Asia.

It has the capacity to accommodate 10,000 people and its unique architecture follows that of Katangka Mosque (the oldest mosque in the city) and the traditional house of Bugis-Makassar (the two major ethnics in South Sulawesi.

Rotterdam Fort was previously called Ujung Pandang Fort, but the name had been changed when the Dutch had used the fort to store spices collected from eastern Indonesian region.

Somba Opu Fort was built by the Ninth Sultan of Gowa in 1525. In the 16th century, Makassar had become Sulawesi`s major port and center of the powerful Gowa and Tallo sultanates.

The latest tourist attraction in Makassar is Trans Studio Theme Park, Indonesia`s largest indoor amusement center which stands in a 2.7 hectare plot of land.

The Theme park has 21 playgrounds and many other attractions in four zones with different and unique themes.

Makassar is also known for its authentic culinary presenting traditional delicacies such as Coto Makassar (soup), various seafood, Pallu Basa, Sop Konro, and Es Palu Butung.

Its traditional arts like Pakarena dance, Pakacaping, Pepe Pepeka Rimaka, Paraga Api Show, and Gandrang Bulo are also quite famous.

The Makassar administration has been intensified tourism promotion among other things by launching the Visit Makassar Year 2011.

The local authorities plan to set up tourist counters in public places to provide information related to tourism, including on tourist objects, transportation and accommodation, to the public, especially visitors.

To promote dissemination of information on touristic activities, the Makassar administration has also established cooperation with PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL), a major cellular operator in the province.

"It`s an honor for XL to be involved in the Visit Makassar 2011 program," Vice President of XL North Region Nuruddin Al Fithroh recently said in Makassar.

PT XL Axiata Tbk. has provided cellular services throughout Indonesia in order to support the regional economy, according to him.

The Visit Makassar 2011 had been planned since November 2009 and officially launched in December 2010.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik at the launching of Visit of Makassar and Beyond 2011-2014 said that South Sulawesi has many attractions to offer to tourists, as the province is rich of culture, beautiful panoramas, and culinary.

According to the minister, Makassar was set to be in the 10th rank of the main national tourist destinations.

The Makassar administration has decided to make tourism as a priority program for the city development. Minister of Culture and

During 2009, Makassar attracted a total of 2,010,121 domestic tourists, and 28,223 foreign tourists.

The city has 102 star-rated hotels with a total rooms of round 4,800 units.

Chairman of the South Sulawesi Association of Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) Anggiat Sinaga estimated in Makassar last December 2010 that total investment in hotels would increase to Rp400 billion with 1,200 more rooms to support the Visit Makassar Year 2011 program.

(T. A023/F001/A/HAJM/15:05/f001)
(T.SYS/A/F001/F001) 19-02-2011 15:19:55

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