Yogyakarta to host tourism forum

YOGYAKARTA: Administration executives and legislators here are debating whether or not to construct a building as the venue of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) which will be held in the historic city in 2002.

Djoko Budi Sulistyo, deputy chairman of the Yogyakarta Regional Development Planning Body, said on Wednesday that the event, which will gather some 1,500 delegates, would need an appropriate building with convention and exhibition halls.

"A 9,000 square-meter building complex is planned to be constructed in Janti subdistrict, some eight kilometers east of here," Djoko said adding that "it would be a single story building."

But Nur Ahmad Affandi, deputy speaker of the council here, told The Jakarta Post that while the city is committed to host the event slated for Jan. 21 to 28, not all factions had approved of the plan to construct the new building.

"Most factions, except the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan), had agreed. We wanted the decision to be made through consensus, without voting," he remarked.

"Personally, I think that the establishment of the Rp 22 billion building would benefit the province. Several businessmen had told me that they needed a suitable building for their business activities, including displaying their products," he said.

Nur Ahmad added that about Rp 12.5 billion of the construction cost was expected to be donated by the central government.

PDI-Perjuangan's objection was based on skepticism over the economic prospects of such a large building which would also require high maintenance, Nur Ahmad remarked. (23)