Caves potential tourist site

Caves potential tourist site

BANYUWANGI, East Java: Hundreds of caves left by the World War
II Japanese army in Banyuwangi, East Java, have yet to be turned
into tourist attractions, a local official was quoted by Antara
as saying.

"It is regrettable, but I hope that they will (become tourist
attractions) in the near future", said the head of the marketing
section of the provincial tourism office in Banyuwangi, Siti
Kamarukmi, on Wednesday.

The mountainous region of Banyuwangi is situated at the
eastern tip of East Java covering an area of 5,782.5 square
kilometers with 1.5 million inhabitants.

"From the cave at the Watu Dodol tourist resort one can see
ships in the Bali strait," said Siti Kamarukmi.

She said hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists visiting
Banyuwangi usually prefer to see areas of agro-tourism and
seashores. "I hope that the caves can be cleared and (developed
so that they) attract tourists," she said. (swe)