BANYUWANGI TO HOLD 77 FESTIVALS AND CARNIVALS TO ATTRACT TOURISTS by Fardah

 Jakarta, Feb 25, 2018 (Antara) - Banyuwangi, which is located in the eastern most district of East Java Province, has been dubbed as the city of carnivals and festivals for routinely organizing various cultural events to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

        This year, the Banyuwangi District Administration plans to organize 77 events, including three major events, which are included in the 2018 Calendar of 100 Events of Wonderful Indonesia.

        The three main events are  Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival (BEC), International Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen (ITdBI) cycling race, and Gandrung Sewu.

        Banyuwangi District Head Abdullah Azwar Anas officially launched the 2018 Calendar of 77 Top Events in the office of the Tourism Ministry in Jakarta, on Feb 1, 2018.

        The events will offer opportunities to guests to explore  natural beauty and enjoy unique culture and traditions of Banyuwangi, which is located relatively near Bali.

        Banyuwangi has intensified tourism promotion activities to attract more foreign tourists, as an effort to help Indonesia achieve its target of receiving at least 17 million foreign tourists this year, and 20 million in 2019.

        Last year, Banyuwangi received some 91 thousand foreign tourists contributing Rp546 billion in foreign exchange, an increase from 77 thousand foreign tourists and four million domestic tourists in the previous year.  In 2017, Banyuwangi organized 72 festivals and carnivals.

            Other tourism events to be held by Banyuwangi this year include Beach Jazz Festival, Jazz Ijen, Lunar Festival on March 17, Dance Festival on March 31, Fishing Festival on April 7, Chocolate Festival on May 12, and Kuntulajn Festival on October 3-6.

             Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya has lauded the tourism programs of Banyuwangi and is optimistic that the attractive events would be able to attract visitors.

              The Minister said that Banyuwangi has been designated as one of 10 branding or co-branding destinations of Wonderful Indonesia under the brand ¿Banyuwangi, the City of Carnival and Festival¿, thanks to its 3A elements (attractions, amenity, and accessibility).

             Arief Yahya revealed that the Banyuwangi airport would begin to serve international flights in 2019 to draw more foreign tourists to the eastern coast region of Java, which is located just across Bali.

         The central government has encouraged and supported Banyuwangi, which has also been dubbed as "Sun Rise of Java",  to develop its tourism potential.

           "Banyuwangi has all the criteria to become a major tourist destination - world class tourism attractions, complete amenities, accessibility, but to become an international destination we need to open international flight routes," he said recently.

         Potential international routes are the links with Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, he said.

         The momentum is good for Banyuwangi to start opening international flight routes especially with the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting to be held in Bali in October this year.

         Some 15 thousand delegates from all over the world will fly in to Bali. Part of the delegations might land at the Banyuwangi airport.

          "That is a big momentum. Banyuwangi has already prepared tour packages and the ministry will give full support," Minister Yahya said.

           M. Awaluddin, the Chief Executive of PT Angkasa Pura II, said the state-owned airport operator has already sought collaborations with international airlines such as Jetstar of Australia.

          "Jetstar had already carried out field surveys. I am surprised; they are seriously interested. They asked for additional facilities needed by international airport such as immigration counter," Awaluddin said.

          He said Angkasa Pura II will invest Rp400 billion to lengthen the runway  and expand the apron to make the airport fit as an international airport.

           Besides, low cost carrier Citilink Indonesia will this year open Jakarta-Banyuwangi flight route as part of efforts to expand its business and support development of the tourism industry in the region.

           Meanwhile, over 300 travel bureaus and tour operators from Indonesia and overseas participated in the Osing Travel Mart (OTM) recently organized by the Banyuwangi district administration.

          The travel mart was held on February 20-22, 2018, Abdullah Azwar Anas, stated.

          The Travel Mart's participants were offered the opportunity to travel to various tourist destinations in Banyuwangi during the three-day event.

          "This event is a platform to connect with travel operators. We offer them a personal experience of exploring Banyuwangi, so later they would return to the district with tourists," Anas remarked.

         Some 321 businessmen, comprising 107 tour package sellers from Banyuwangi and the surrounding areas as well as 214 domestic and foreign buyers participated in the OTM.

          The buyers included those from India, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Manado, Batam, Banjarmasin, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta.

         Ramesh Sutaria, a potential buyer from India, expressed interest in Banyuwangi, as it is located near Bali, has good accessibility, and offers various tourist attractions.

          Banyuwangi has several ecotourism destinations, such as the Ijen Crater with a blue flame, Sutaria noted.

          The businessman from the Indian travel bureau was also interested in rural tourism attractions, such as in Gintangan and other villages in the district.

           "There is a community-based homestay. Hence, this is good for rural tourism," Sutaria, owner of the Splendid Tours and Travels, remarked.

           The Banyuwangi district head also views India as a potential market for tourism.

         The number of Indian tourists visiting Indonesia reaches some 400 thousand a year, and 240 thousand of them visit Bali annually. Banyuwangi has set a target to attract at least five percent of the Indian tourists to visit the district after enjoying their stay in Bali.  ***1***
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(T.F001/A/F. Assegaf/Suharto) 25-02-2018