Old buildings to be restored

SEMARANG: The local administration and the World Bank are discussing the possibility of renovating 153 buildings constructed by the Dutch colonial rulers in a bid to bring back the ambience of the old city, and to boost tourism.

The work would take some Rp 1 billion (US$1 million), head of the city administration's urban management division, Slamet Riyadi, was quoted by Antara as saying Monday.

He said Semarang was following the example of Australia and some European countries which had successfully restored their old cities to attract more tourists.

He said the city also hoped that with the cooperation of the World Bank, it could develop a tourist information center to promote 47 recreational sites in Semarang and in other parts of Central Java.