Restore them and tourists will come, Bandung official says

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Bandung is planning to restore more than a hundred old and historic buildings in the city as part of an aggressive campaign to attract more tourists, an official said Tuesday.

Askary Wirantaatmadja, the head of the Bandung Tourism Office, said his staff were currently making a list of the city's old and historic buildings for restoration.

Out of 637 historic buildings standing in the increasing busy city, 160 would be prioritized for development, he said.

"All of the buildings ... will be included in a regional draft bill on old and historic buildings, which is currently being worked out by members of the city's legislative council," he said.

If the bill was passed, Bandung would be the third city in the country to have a bylaw protecting heritage buildings after Jakarta and Surabaya, Askary said.

Structures could be classed as protected if they were more than 50 years old, had important architectural features or were once used as venues where noted figures gathered.

Those to be put on the city's priority list would include the Merdeka and Isola buildings in the Setiabudi area, he said.

Askary noted several travel agencies were already sending people on historic tours in the city. It was now time now to develop this market more professionally, he said.

Restoring buildings would also preserve them for future generations.

"Moreover, (the restoration of buildings) is expected to lengthen the stay of tourists in Bandung. A longer stay means more money spent here."

This year, more than six million tourists visited Bandung but as of September only 1.4 million stayed more than one day in the city.

Official website of West Java Province (Bandung)