Six Papua Provinces Urged to Unify Cultural Festivals

Committee III also oversees tourism and the creative economy, so we will encourage cultural festivals held in the Land of Papua to be connected from Sorong to Merauke,” said Arianto in Wamena on Friday.

Arianto Kogoya, a member of the DPD RI Committee III, is pushing for the organisation of integrated cultural festivals across the six provinces of Papua to strengthen tourism and the creative economy.

According to him, cultural festivals in the six provinces—namely Papua, West Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, Central Papua, and Southwest Papua—are not yet well-coordinated, particularly regarding the scheduling of their implementation.

Arianto stated that a unified festival schedule would assist tourists in planning their visits, allowing them to enjoy a series of cultural activities across various regions of Papua.

“We will later attempt to encourage the implementation of cultural festivals in every region of the Land of Papua to be connected, so that foreign tourists visiting Papua can organise their visit timings effectively,” he said.

According to Arianto, this pattern could provide a more complete cultural experience while simultaneously driving economic growth for local communities through the tourism and creative economy sectors.

He noted that this idea needs to be discussed with members of the DPD from other committees so that it can be proposed and followed up by both the central and regional governments.

“What is currently happening is that foreign tourists visiting the Land of Papua to enjoy cultural festivals are not well-integrated, meaning cultural activities cannot be enjoyed within a single visit,” he said.

“We hope that in the future, regarding the implementation of cultural festivals, local governments will provide security guarantees to ensure satisfaction for both foreign and domestic tourists enjoying the natural beauty, culture, and customs of Papua, particularly Highland Papua,” he added.