Borobudur festival scheduled for July

SEMARANG: Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave will open the sixth Borobudur Festival at the Central Javanese temple on July 6, Antara reported yesterday.

Head of the provincial tourism office Soebagyo said the five- day event will feature traditional Javanese gamelan music played by a New York-based group.

Other activities to be held include exhibitions of cultural artifacts and souvenirs, a photography contest and a number of art and cultural performances.

The festival aims at invoking Indonesians' pride in their own culture and bolstering the people's resistance against the onslaught of alien cultures, he said.

A total of 2,093 foreign tourists visited the temple when the festival was held last year, a significant increase from 1,079 in 1994.

A total of 28,752 foreign and domestic tourists visited the temple last year, while, in 1994, a total of 27,581 tourists came. (swe)