Borobudur Marathon To Be Organized To Promote Tourism

MAGELANG, C Java, Sept 18 (Antara) - A 42-kilometer international marathon event called Bank Jateng Borobudur Marathon (BJBM) will be held in Central Java Province on November 19, 2017, as part of the tourism promotion activities. The event is being jointly organized by the Borobudur Foundation and Central Java provincial administration with the support of Bank Jateng, Central Java, and Kompas Daily, Urip Shihabudin, head of the Central Java tourism office, stated here, Saturday. "The tourism ministry has set a target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists every year, while the target of foreign tourist visits to Borobudur Temple is two million," he said. Some 10 thousand national and international runners are expected to participate in the BJBM this year. Meanwhile, state-owned company PT Taman Wisata Candi (TWC-Temple Tourism Park) has sought assistance of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing to help realize the target of attracting three million foreign tourists in 2017. "Perhaps, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing could invite (Chinese) travel agents to bring along tourists to our temples," Retno Hardiasiwi, the technical and infrastructure director of PT TWC, informed Antara in Beijing recently. The state-owned company managing the temples of Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko has been improving the quality of tourist attractions in Yogyakarta and Central Java Province. "Without the help of others, it will be difficult for us to attract three million foreign tourists," Hardiasiwi noted. Education and Culture Attaché Priyanto Wibowo remarked that Indonesian students in China frequently organized art and cultural events, among other things, to promote the country's ancient temples. During a visit to China on Aug 27-30, the TWC delegation conducted a comparative study by visiting the Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Suzhou, Zhouzhuang, and Yuyuan Garden, among others.