Zita Anjani: Jember poised to become a tourism magnet in eastern Java
Jember, East Java (ANTARA) - President’s Special Envoy for Tourism Zita Anjani said that Jember Regency has strong capital to develop into one of the tourism magnets in the eastern region of Java.
“Jember is a pioneer of carnival organisation in Indonesia and possesses a complete wealth of tourist destinations,” she said after attending a Tourism Talk Gathering in Jember on Saturday evening.
The discussion, titled “Collaboration Towards a Quality, Sustainable and World-Class Tourism for Jember Regency”, was held together with tourism activists, Tourism Ambassadors, Puteri Indonesia, Gus Ning Jember, youth figures and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) players at the Pendapa CSL Gebang.
“Jember is the pioneer of carnivals in Indonesia. Many regencies and cities now organise carnivals inspired by Jember, so we thank Jember and the Jember Fashion Carnaval Foundation, which has become the reference point for carnivals in Indonesia,” she said.
During her visit to Jember, Zita also attended a series of Jember Fashion Carnaval (JFC) events, and this was her second visit, having previously attended last year’s JFC.
“JFC holds an important position in the development of the carnival industry in Indonesia, which is why many regions now stage carnivals inspired by JFC,” she said.
Zita also held a dialogue with Gus Ning Jember regarding the potential development of the local tourism sector. From the discussion, she assessed that Jember has diverse tourist attractions, ranging from mountainous areas, waterfalls and beaches to tourism villages and rice field landscapes.
“Jember’s tourism package is complete. There are the foothills of Mount Raung, waterfalls, tourism villages, beaches, and stretches of rice paddies. Its tourism potential is enormous,” she said.
Nevertheless, Zita considered that strengthening air transport connectivity remains homework for boosting the number of tourist visits.
“I hope the frequency of flights to Jember can be increased, including opening more flights connecting Jember with other tourist destinations such as Bali,” she said.
According to her, improved flight access will have a direct impact on the growth of the tourism sector in Jember Regency.
Meanwhile, in terms of land infrastructure, Zita assessed that the roads to Jember are already adequate and access from various routes is relatively good, supported by natural scenery that adds value for tourists.
Regarding support from the central government, Zita affirmed that she is ready to encourage the organisation of various tourism agendas in Jember, especially international-scale events such as the Jember Fashion Carnaval.
She said tourism development requires collaboration between the central government, regional governments, event organisers, and arts and creative industry players in order to deliver a broader economic impact.