Bordertown Atambua to Host 10 New Events to Attract Foreign Visitors
Jakarta. A total of 10 new events will be held in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, in the next few months to attract foreign tourists, especially from neighboring East Timor.
"We have 10 events already lined up, but we can do more if the Tourism Ministry wants us to," Belu District Head Willybrodus Lay said in a statement on Tuesday (25/04).
The events include a cultural parade in May, the Atambua Half Marathon in June, a motor cross tournament in August, a fishing tournament in September and the Atambua Great Sale in December.
"The rest [of the events] are still being prepared. Rest assured, there will be many interesting activities for foreign visitors," Willybrodus said.
According to Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, a crossborder town like Atambua must set a clear tourism agenda and do a lot of promotion to bring in foreign tourists.
"We're ready to support the events in Atambua, they'll help us achieve our foreign tourist target. That's why the events need to be carefully planned out and promoted properly," the ministry's director for Asia-Pacific tourism promotion, Vinsensius Jemadu, said.
The ministry has set as one of its goals to turn crossborder towns like Atambua into attractive tourist destinations, following President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's instruction to boost tourism in Indonesia's outer islands and border areas.
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