Sabtu, 22 Juli 2017

TANGERANG ORGANIZES FESTIVAL TO PROMOTE ITS TOURISM

 By Andi Abdussalam
         Jakarta, July 22 (Antara) - The regional government of Tangerang City, Tangerang District, Banten Province, is holding a week-long annual 'Cisadane Festival' along the Cisadane River to reflect its local cultures and promote its tourism.
        As in the previous years, the Cisadane Festival this year, scheduled to last from July 22 to 29, will be highlighted with various cultural festivals. The city government of Tangerang will invite all districts and cities in Banten Province to take part in it.
        "Some of the activities will take place in Jalan Benteng Jaya along the Cisadane River," Head of Tangerang City's Culture and Tourism Service, Raden Rina Hernaningsih, said, as quoted by the Tangerang City's official website, tangerangkota.go.id. 
   The activities will take place both on the street/Ciadane river banks and in the river because the event will present a band festival and a decorated dragon boat race.

        According to Hernaningsih, one of the goals of this year's Cisadane Festival is to provide a facility for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to promote their business and to empower the community's business, apart from highlighting the splendor of the Cisadane River and providing entertainment for the local people and tourists.



        The Cisadane is a 138-kilometers-long river in northern West Java. The river has its source at Mount Mandalawangi and passes through Bogor District and Tangerang before flowing to the Java Sea, according to Wikipedia.
        The rivers in Banten, the westernmost province of Java, run roughly parallel to each other. The main ones are the Peteh, called the Banten on the lower reaches near the city of Banten. The  Cisadane rises in the mountainous region of Priyangan and formed the border between the Dutch East India Company (VOC) territory and Batavia (modern Jakarta) in 1682.
        It flows through the Tangerang Plain. In 1911, the colonial government started to prepare an irrigation plan, and in 1914, it determined that various tracts in the plain should be subject to compulsory purchase for this purpose. In 1919, a plan was issued where the north of the plain would be irrigated by the Cisadane and the southern area by the Cidurian River.
        The Cisadane Festival will also be highlighted with a Cosplay contest, especially at the opening of the festival. According to Hernaningsih, a number of races have begun to take place on the first day on Saturday (July 22).
        On the second day, a decorated dragon boat race will be held in the Cisadane River, which is sure to enthrall the spectators who support their favorite teams. This race will be participated in by local teams from Banten. Relatively younger visitors will have the chance to witness the band festival.
        Another dragon boat will be organized on the second day. Dance lovers will have the chance to satisfy their desires through witnessing their idols contesting the Cisadane Dance festival in the main stage of the Cisadane Festival 2017.
        Care for Cisadane River activity will be carried out by Tangerang City's Scout members on Tuesday (July 25), while in the evening, a Betawi (Batavia) native 'Lenong' music performance will be presented to entertain visitors who love traditional music.
        Tangerang City's Mayor Arief R Wismansyah said the regional government of Tangerang City has prepared a lot of new events in the biggest river festival in Banten Province. One of the new events is a floating stage on the Cisadane River. Some activities during the opening of the festival are carried out on the floating stage.
        The floating stage is only used for events during the opening of the festival. The main stage is located on Jalan Benteng Jaya, Tangerang District. "The theme of the Cisadane Festival 2017 is event from Tangerang for Indonesia. We will show that the Cisadane River is the source of life for the people of Tangerang," Wismasyah said.
        Tangerang is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia, and is located about 25 kilometers west of Jakarta. It is the third largest urban center in the Jabotabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi) region after Jakarta and Bekasi, now the sixth largest city in the nation and also the largest city in Banten province.
        Therefore, this event is also expected to attract foreign travelers. Head of the Tourism Department of Tangerang's Culture and Tourism Service Rizal Ridolloh said in Tangerang on Saturday that the Cisadane Festival has become a much-awaited annual tourist event.
        Various interesting events and dragon boat races presented in the same event in the past two years attracted visitors from abroad, apart those from other regions in the country.
        This year, it has set a target to attract 50 thousand visitors. This figure has increased compared to that recorded last year. In 2016, some 30 thousand visitors, both citizens of Tangerang City and those from other areas in Tangerang, visited the Cisadane Festival. The event was also witnessed by foreign tourists staying in hotels in Tangerang City.
        The Tangerang city government has cooperated with hotel and restaurant entrepreneurs to promote the Cisadane Festival among guests.
        "We are doing this promotion to attract more people to visit the Cisadane Festival. Every year, a total of 500 thousand guests stay in the 54 hotels in Tangerang City. Cisadane Festival has also included the seven wonders in Banten to become leading tourist destinations apart from Seba Baduy, Banten Lama, and others. The Cisadane Festival has also received attention of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia," Ridolloh remarked. ***4***
(A014/INE/B003)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 22-07-2017 17:41

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