Pangkalpinang Designates Destar Point as Durian Culinary Centre
The Pangkalpinang City Government in Bangka Belitung Islands Province is transforming the Destar Point area into a durian culinary centre to serve as a tourist attraction while driving economic growth and community welfare in the region.
“We are making Destar Point a durian culinary tourism destination,” stated the Mayor of Pangkalpinang, Saparudin, in Pangkalpinang on Monday.
He noted that Destar Point, located within the Pangkalpinang City Government’s integrated complex on Jalan Soekarno Hatta, will serve as a hub to market durian harvests from farmers across Bangka Island, spanning centres in four regencies: Bangka, Central Bangka, West Bangka, and South Bangka.
“Pangkalpinang City is ready to become the marketing hub for local durians in the Bangka Belitung Islands, as many local varieties such as the Cumasi and Tembaga durians are highly sought after for their extraordinary flavour,” he said.
He stated that the establishment of Destar Point as a local durian culinary centre aims to ensure that the public recognises more than just Alun-Alun Taman Merdeka, Bukit Dealova, Wilhelmina Park, and Taman Sari as culinary tourism destinations in the provincial capital.
“We will ensure that every durian season features bazaars for Cumasi and other local durians at this culinary centre,” he added.
Destar Point also represents the city government’s effort to promote the potential of Bangka Belitung’s local durians to a wider audience, reaching both national and international levels.
“We want local durians like the Cumasi to be more widely known, as they are just as excellent as the durians developed in neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and others,” he said.
He expressed hope that with the Cumasi durian bazaar at Pangkalpinang’s Destar Point, running from Sunday (5 July) to Sunday (12 July), the people of Pangkalpinang will become more acquainted with the region’s signature local durians.
“Through this Cumasi durian bazaar, the community will better recognise our local varieties. We must not only be familiar with durians from neighbouring countries while remaining ignorant of our own local durians, which possess flavours superior to those of other regions,” he concluded.