Jakarta (Antara) - The district of Jember in the Indonesian province of East Java will organize numerous festivals this year in a bid to boost domestic and foreign tourist arrivals.
Besides boosting the domestic and foreign tourist arrivals, the festivals will be organized to preserve the unique and traditional culture and arts of the district.
Preservation and promotion of Jember's culture and tradition are made through the art festival, fashion carnival, traditional game, city carnival, and traditional long march.
The local Culture and Tourism Office Chief Sandi Suwardi Hasan had remarked in Jember on Friday that more festivals will be held this year to preserve the local culture and arts, and to boost tourist arrivals.
According to him, there are many festivals, and the Jember fashion carnival is the famous event that has been recorded as the longest catwalk in the world.
"We have prepared an inventory of some 19 festival events, including the fashion carnival and Pendalungan festival, which will be held this year in our efforts to attract more domestic and foreign tourists," Suwardi emphasized.
According to the chief, the number of domestic tourists arriving in Jember in 2015 reached 1 million, while foreign tourist arrivals were recorded at some seven thousand.
"With many cultural events in Jember this year, we have set a target to see at least 2 million domestic tourists and 1.5 thousand foreign tourists," Suwardi noted.
He affirmed that once famous for its coffee and tobacco plantations, Jember is now known for its glamorous and glitzy annual parade, known as the Jember Fashion Carnival.
Attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators each year, Jember has now developed into a neat and complete city, and has become a popular holiday destination for foreign and domestic tourists alike.
"The Jember Fashion Carnival exhibits elaborate creations by local fashion designers, combining traditional Indonesian styles with the latest international trends," he said.
Hundreds of participants spend the entire year in preparation for this extravaganza of color, costumes and creativity.
The parade usually runs through the Jember city center, along a 3.6 kilometer catwalk, the longest in the world.
The Jember Fashion Carnival has now been recognized as the fourth largest carnival in the world, and definitely the biggest party in Indonesia.
In the meantime, Jember Culture and Tourism Office spokesman Sirajudin noted that the Pendalungan Festival will be held this month to promote the cultural identity of Jember district.
"This festival aims to introduce the Pendalungan culture to the general public, including the tourists visiting Jember city and district," Sirajudin remarked.
According to the spokesman, the event will showcase the culture of Jember as the district, known as one of the major tobacco producing areas in Indonesia that does not have an indigenous cultural identity.
He noted that most of the population in Jember District comprises of Javanese, Madurese, Osing Banyuwangi, and a small community of Chinese and Arabic citizens.
The blend of Javanese, Madurese, and Osing communities in Jember has finally given birth to a new culture, known today as Pendalungan.
"Pendalungan is a blend of three major cultural influences in Jember-Java, Madura, and Osing Banyuwangi-but there is also the presence of Arabic and Chinese cultures," he pointed out.
Sirajudin noted that the festival will showcase the diverse cultures of the different ethnic groups in the district.
"School students will also be involved in the festival in an effort to introduce them to the Pendalungan culture since an early age," he affirmed.
Further, he added that the Pendalungan festival will also feature Can-Macana Kaduk, Campursari, Jaranan, and Reog art performances that have survived in the district of Jember until this day.
"With the Pendalungan festival, we hope the public, including foreign tourists, will be able to gain a greater understanding of the Pendalungan culture in Jember," he noted.
Jember is one of the cities considered as the gateway to East Java, home to many amazing nature parks, such as Mount Bromo, the Meru Betiri National Park and Kawah Ijen-the largest acid lake on Earth, the Baluran National Park, and many more.
Though not yet as prominent on the tourist map as Bali or Jogjakarta, Jember's historical richness, vast plantations, natural wonders and fashion culture are quickly putting it on the list of a must-visit place in Indonesia.
In addition, Jember has also many archaeological sites, including the Klanceng and Duplang sites in the Arjasa sub-district, the Suko site in the Jelbuk sub-district, Srono and Mojo in the Sukowono sub-district, and Deres temple in the Gumukmas sub-district.
The Mojokertos Trowulan Ancient Heritage Conservation Service (BP3) official Joko Sujiharto had stated that the historical sites in Jember are of high value, but are prone to theft.
According to him, some of the archaeological artifacts found in the Jember district have been smuggled and sold in foreign countries, such as Japan, Australia, the United States, and the Netherlands.
"Some of the historical artifacts have been allegedly stolen and sold to antique collectors in foreign countries, such as Japan, Australia, the United States, and the Netherlands," Joko Sujiharto claimed.
Joko added that the Jember district has around 400 archeological artifacts of various kinds, among others statues, kenong stones (type of a Javanese musical instrument made of bronze resembling a gong), large upright standing stones (menhir), sarcophagus, dolmen, and several weapons belonging to the Majapahit kingdom.
He was hopeful that the local authorities will improve surveillance of the remaining archaeological artifacts and convince the local community about the importance of protecting the antiques. (*)
(O001/INE)
