Fun Bike Aims To Promote Tour De Singkarak

JAKARTA, Oct 18 (Antara) - The Indonesian provincial government of West Sumatra tried to attract the public attention through Fun Bike event which was held in Jakarta on last Sunday in a bid to promote Tour de Singkarak international bike race 2017. The Fun Bike took place on Oct. 15 in an effort to highlight the launch of Tour de Singkarak, at the attendance of Ukus Kuswara, Secretary to Tourism Ministry along with the West Sumatra governor H. Irwan Prayitno, mayors/head of districts across the West Sumatra. The fun bike event in the capital city Jakarta started from the Tourism Ministry`s parking area towards the Hotel Indonesia roundabout and returned to the Tourism Ministry`s parking area. Ukus said, the Fun Bike was also aimed to attract the attention of the Jakarta community while (on Sunday) enjoying the Car Free day to have sports along the Thamrin-Sudirman streets on Sunday morning. Tour de Singkarak 2017, the ninth of its kind, will take place in West Sumatra from Nov 18 to 26, 2017, postponed from the previously planned date from Oct 10 to 18. "Promotion is the key to succeed the sport tourism. Fun Bike launch activity is a creative promotion for the success of Tour de Singkarak (TdS) 2017," Ukus said. A total of 230 cyclists from 18 foreign teams and the national teams will compete in the TdS 2017 which carries the theme "Biggest Sport Tourism." This year, TdS will comprise nine stages, covering the regions of 18 districts and municipalities of West Sumatra. The nine stages will include Tanah Datar-Padang Panjang City, covering 107 kilometers; Painan-Sawahlunto, covering 166 kilometers; Muaro Sijunjung-Pulau Punjung, covering 100 kilometers; Danau Singkarak-Payakumbuh, covering 135 kilometers; and Lembah Harau-Padang Panjang, covering 101 kilometers. The cyclists will continue to the following stages of Solok City-Padang Aro Solok Selatan, covering 140 kilometers; Pariaman-West Pasaman, covering 157 kilometers; Padang Pariaman-Agam, covering 101 kilometers; and Pasaman-Bukittinggi Sirkuit, covering 90 kilometers. The bicycle race, which is named after the Lake Singkarak in West Sumatra, is expected to start from Batusangkar, Tanah Datar District and finish in Bukittinggi city. Singkarak Lake (which has lent its name to the bicycle race) is approximately 21 kilometer long and 7 kilometer wide, extending over an area of 107.8 kilometer; it is a popular tourist destination in West Sumatra. The Tour de Singkarak (TdS), which was first held in 2009, has become an annual agenda for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Since 2013 the Amauri Sport Organization (ASO) has recommended TDS to be a major championship in Asia for being able to attract more than one million spectators. The world-class TDS ranking of the number of spectators was ranked 5th, after the Tour de France (12 million spectators), Giro d`Italia (8 million), Vuelta a Espana (5 million), and Santos Tour Down Under, Ukus explained. In the meantime, West Sumatra Governor H. Irwan Prayitno said, the people of West Sumatra have felt the positive impact of the implementation of TdS especially from the economic side. The occupancy rate of hotel rooms increased, so did sales of food, souvenirs, according to Prayitno. In addition, annual implementation of Tour de Singkarak has also encouraged the improvement of infrastructure, especially the roads that the cycling participants passed by. The TDS has become an effective means to promote West Sumatra tourism. New tourist destinations have emerged since the implementation of the first TdS in 2009. TDS does not only introduce Lake Singkarak destinations, but also the other welknown ones such as the Harau Valley, Kelok 9, Pagaruyuang Palace, Gandoriah Beach, Tiram Beach as well as Padang Beach. The TdS organizing committee has provided the total prize of Rp3 billion for the overall champion. To help highlight the TdS, the Solok Selatan (South Solok) District in West Sumatra Province will organize the first ever festival of 1 thousand Rumah Gadang (traditional houses) or the long houses (SRG). "We will improve it every year, so that it matches up to the Banyuwangi carnival and Lake Toba festival," Muzni Zakaria, district head of South Solok, noted in Padang, recently. The SRG festival will be held in the SRG area located in Nagara Koto Barum Sungai Pagu Sub-district, South Solok District. Various local arts and traditions and a fireworks display will be showcased during the festival to be held to coincide with the arrival of TdS participants in the district. Zakaria expressed hope that the festival would help promote tourism in his district, in general, and the SRG area, which is an icon of the district, in particular. In addition, the Rumah Gadang Festival was also aimed to amuse a number of journalists who will make coverage of the Tour de Singkarak (TdS), Zakaria remarked. "We will facilitate the journalists to be able to enjoy their stay at Rumah Gadang and also a special serving of regional cuisine," he said recently. It will be the first time that the participants of the Tour de Singkarak bike race will pass through the South Solok District. The Solok Selatan District, according to Zakaria, will make use of the festival to perform the local arts and cultural attraction to welcome the TdS participants.