Old buildings to be restored

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.