Bengkulu lures tourism investors

The Jakarta Post - 2007-01-11 12:35

Jakarta, January 11, 2007 (The Jakarta Post) - The governor of Bengkulu is offering investors in the tourism sector the opportunity to use land along the coast free of charge in an attempt to jump-start the tourism industry in the province.

"But we will only give free land-use rights to investments worth more than Rp 20 billion after we have approved the concept and determined how many workers can be employed as a result of the investment," Governor Agusrin M. Najamudin said Wednesday during a gathering in Jakarta to announce the holding of Bengkulu's annual Tabot Festival from Jan. 19 to 29.

Agusrin said that land-use rights would be granted for periods ranging from 25 to 50 years, adding that the province had 530 kilometers of coastline and was in the process of upgrading its infrastructure so as to become more attractive to investors.

"This is a good approach toward encouraging tourism," Culture and Tourism Minister Jero _ Wacik said on the sidelines of the gathering.

He added that he was quite sure that Bengkulu, with its colorful Tabot Festival, had the potential to become a top tourist destination.

The festival is an annual event commemorating the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Husein, in the Karbala war in Iraq. It is widely believed that the first Muslims who arrived in Bengkulu province brought the tradition with them.

This year's festival will be held at the Merdeka Square, also known as Tugu Kam-pung Cina, in Bengkulu city. "The Tabot Festival is a big event. It should be experienced by people from all over the world," said Jero.

The Bengkulu administration is hoping that this year's festival will be attended by some 150,000 domestic and overseas tourists.