Tourist festival inaugurated in N. Sulawesi
MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno inaugurated a one-month cultural and traditional sports festival here on Thursday evening as part of the country's efforts to promote tourism in the province.
The festivity, called Bunaken Festival, will feature various traditional sports and dances, folk music and the religious rites of the Minahasa, Bolaang Mongondow, Sangihe Talaud and Gorontalo ethnic groups of the province's four regencies.
"I expect that the cultural extravaganza will be able to revive the traditional values of the people in the province, besides promoting tourism," Try said during the grand opening ceremony for the festival at the Klabat football stadium here.
He added that traditional values are still relevant.
He saw the values as important in strengthening the nation's collective identity in anticipation of globalization as a consequence of economic liberalization, which tends to ignore cultural and traditional values.
"North Sulawesi has great potential in tourism with its famous undersea garden off Bunaken Island, which has attracted many foreign tourists," Try added.
Mrs. Tuty Try Sutrisno, Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas, State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman, State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, State Minister of Food/Chairman of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) Ibrahim Hasan, Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar and North Sulawesi Governor C.J. Rantung attended the ceremony along with 35,000 local people.
Growth area
Joop said that tourism has become one of the main industries in North Sulawesi, which, along with East and West Kalimantan, is included in a newly set up regional economic cooperation zone.
The zone is known as the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA) and includes Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Joop expects the existence of the EAGA zone to increase the number of tourists coming to North Sulawesi.
Governor Rantung said that tourist arrivals in the province increased by around 30 percent per year during the past five years.
"In 1989, the number of tourist arrivals was only around 5,180. Last year, the number reached 18,767," he added.
He said that the Bunaken Festival will also feature races and contests, including a traditional boat race, sea diving, a coastal clean-up contest, a tug-of-war bout and kite-flying, fishing and undersea photography contests.
Yesterday, Vice President Try Sutrisno also inaugurated the operation of a Rp 5.2 billion (US$2.39 million) multipurpose sports stadium, called Stadion Maesa, in Tondano, Minahasa regency, in conjunction with National Sports Day. (alx/fhp)