Saturday, September 30, 2017

TOUR DE BANYUWANGI OFFERS UNIQUE, MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES by Fardah

 Jakarta, Sept 30, 2017 (Antara) - The international cycling race of "Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen" (TdBI) 2017 has combined sports and tourism events to offer unique and unforgettable experiences to some 100 participants from 29 countries.
          The participating countries included Iran, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Eritrea, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Colombia, and New Zealand.
          Held on Sept 27-30, the international professional cyclists and tourists have enjoyed the special hospitality offered by the host, according to Banyuwangi District Head Abdullah Azwar Anas.
          "The TdBI has become the best cycling race event in Indonesia, so we will use it to promote Indonesia, in general, and Banuwangi, in particular," he noted.   
     During the race, cyclists passed through iconic locations in Banyuwangi, which has been known as the Sunrise of Java.
          The TdBI, first held in 2012, has become an annual agenda for the Union Cycliste Internationale.
          A total of 20 teams participated in the event ranked as "excellent" by the World Cycling Race Federation that has declared it as the best in Indonesia.
         The cycling teams include the PCS Cycling Team from the Netherlands, Pishgaman Continental Team from Iran, LX Cycling Team of South Korea, 7 eleven RBP of the Philippines, BRCC of Indonesia, Bikelife Dong Nai of Vietnam, and Sapura Pro Cycling Team of Malaysia.
        The 533-kilometer-long race was divided into four stages. The race route covered Watudodol Beach, Bangsring Underwater, cacao village in Glenmore, and Ijen Mountain, among others.
        Hundreds of local artists performed traditional dances to welcome the guests to mark the opening and start of the event in Banyuwangi City.

        A day prior to the start, the participants took part in an environmental campaign by releasing turtle hatchlings into the Cacalan Beach, where female turtles usually lay their eggs.
         In the second stage, the participants started from a cocoa plantation, and they sampled fresh and hot local chocolate before racing.
         In the fourth stage, the cyclists started from the Darussalam Islamic boarding school, and they wore local traditional Muslim outfits, with sarongs and kopiah caps.
         "We wish to introduce 'pesantren' (Islamic boarding school) culture to the world. This is indeed my special request as a way to demonstrate to the world that Islam is a tolerant religion. Pesantren is an Islamic educational institution based in Indonesia that spreads values of tolerance," the Banyuwangi district head remarked.
        Anas had earlier urged all liaison officers to maintain a record of information regarding the approach that pesantrens adopt to instill values of tolerance.
         Last year, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya had lauded the successful implementation of the International Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen (ITdBI) in Banyuwangi District on May 11-14, 2016.
         "It was a successfully organized world-class event. It succeeded in reviving the tourism industry and also helped promote new destinations at the global level," Minister Yahya had noted.
        Cyclists from nearly 29 countries participated in the ITdBI 2016.
        The participants hailed from Spain, Italy, San Marino, the UAE, Kenya, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, China, Laos, and Indonesia.
        The sports tourism event was organized to help support the government's Wonderful Indonesia program that is expected to attract some 20 million foreign tourists by 2019.
        Located in the eastern tip of Java Island, Banyuwangi District has been blessed with scenic beaches and mountains. The region enjoys moderate climate, with temperatures usually lying between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
        The Ijen Crater located in the western part of Banyuwangi is famous for its scenic crater lake, traditional sulfur miners who climb up and down the slope of Mount Merapi, and plantations that cover the crater's slope.
        The National Park of Meru Betiri is famous for its Java Tiger and turtles. 
   Banyuwangi District in East Java Province deserves to be called the city of cultural and traditional art festivals for successfully organizing annual festivals since 2012 for boosting tourism.
        Last year, Banyuwangi had organized some 50 festivals, including 20 new attractions, such as the Canal Rafting Festival, Sailing Ship Festival, Underwater Festival, and Badeng River Tubing Festival, in addition to the Paddy Planting Festival, and Fishery Festival, Anas stated.
        In 2015, the district had held 38 festivals.
        This year, Banyuwangi has planned to organize 72 activities to enliven the 2017 Banyuwangi Festival.
        For successfully holding festivals in the last five years, the Tourism Ministry has adjudged Banyuwangi District as the best festival city in Indonesia.
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 30-09-2017

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