TRANSFORMING MUSI RIVER INTO GLOBAL TOURIST ATTRACTION by Fardah

Jakarta, June 13, 2016 (Antara)- Musi River is not solely the longest river in Sumatra stretching over 750 kilometers but is also the lifeline and heartbeat of Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra Province.

         People belonging to several races and ethnicities, such as Malay, Javanese, Chinese, Arab, and Indian descends, live along and around the river, which divides Palembang into northern and southern parts.

         Their traditions and arts have enriched the culture of Palembang, which is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and in the past, was the capital of the powerful Sriwijaya Kingdom during the period between 670 and 1375.

        The northern and southern parts of the city are connected by the Ampera Bridge, which has become the most popular icon of Palembang.

        Given the huge potential of Musi River, the city is currently mulling over a greater icon than just the Ampera Bridge, which was constructed in April 1962 and stretches 1,177 meters in length and 22 meters in width.

         The administration of Palembang plans to develop the Musi River tourism on the similar lines as Thailand's Chao Phraya River, or even transforming it into "the Venice of Indonesia."
    Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has lauded the city's plan to increase the number of tourist visits.

         "Musi River could become a main attraction and draw tourists," the minister noted recently in a statement.

         Palembang could draw inspiration from other cities across the planet famous for river tourism, if it cannot develop its own concept, he stated.

         "Musi can be compared to rivers in other major cities in the world that have huge tourism potential," he remarked.

        These cities include Bangkok known for the Chao Phraya River charm; London, with the Thames River; Paris, with the River Seine; Moscow, with the Moscow River; and Cairo, with the Nile River.

        The municipality will promote Musi River tourism to attract tourists, M. Safri Nungcik of the Palembang city planning office, confirmed.

         The river will be restored not only for cargo and public transportation but also for attracting tourists, he stated.

         To this end, land, air, and water transportation modes will be made available for boosting tourism.

         Water buses will ferry visitors to several tourist attractions along the banks of Musi River, such as the kampongs of Kapitan, Al Munawar Arab quarter, 14 Ulu area, 10 Ulu area, and Kemaro Isle.

        "If Thailand could attract foreign tourists by doing this, so could Palembang," Nungcik emphasized.

        As part of a joint venture with state-owned PT Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation, the Palembang administration will build a 20-storey hotel in Musi area, with investment worth Rp200 billion.

          A similar cooperation has also been established with the hotel chain, Sahid Group.

          Nungcik is optimistic that Palembang would be the first city in Indonesia to successfully develop river tourism.

          Furthermore, the Palembang administration is currently building the Musi IV bridge, which is due for completion in 2017, to support the implementation of the next Asian Games in 2018 to be co-hosted by the city.

        The 635-meter-long bridge is designed to be 12 meters wide and 16.88 meters above the surface of the river, according to Syamsul Bahri, head of the regional public works service .

         The bridge project, to cost some Rp518 billion, would reduce the burden of the Ampera bridge, also spanning the Musi river, and so far, is the only access to the sports complex of Jakabaring Sport City.

         Palembang, which has hosted several international sports events, has high tourism potential as it offers religious sites, authentic culinary specialties, and shopping centers, among others.  
    In the middle of Musi River, there is a unique isle known as Kemaro Isle, where there is Chinese temple. It honors a legendary love story between a Chinese prince, Tan Bun Ann, and a princess of Palembang, Siti Fatimah.

         Not far from the Ampera bridge, there is the little-known Al-Munawar kampong, an old Arab quarter which has a vibrant Islamic environment and a distinctive culture.

         Al Munawar has been designated as a cultural reserve, based on a local law number 5 of the year 1992.

     
Accommodating some 75 families comprising 250 inhabitants, most of the kampong's houses are over a century old, and some are up to 350 years old.

        The Arab kampong was built some 400 years ago by Syed Abdurrahman bin Muhammad Al-Munawar, a Yemeni migrant who had married Princess Masayu Bariyah, a Sultan's daughter.

        It has eight Palembang traditional wooden houses, and European style houses located along the Musi River.

        One of the traditional wooden houses is 373 years old, measuring 30x16 meters and inhabited by nine to 10 families.

        The fifth generation of Syed Abdurrahman bin Mahammad Al-Munawar currently lives in the kampong.

        The Musi River is also known to have numerous species of fish that attract foreign researchers to study them.

        There are 221 species of fish in the Musi River, one of which is the famous belida fish that is almost endangered.

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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 13-06-2016 14:04:49