Poso Conducive For Tour De Central Celebes

JAKARTA, Oct 26 (Antara) - Poso, a mountainous district of Central Sulawesi Province, was in the past considered an extremist hotbed and a series of bloody conflicts, but now the district is safe and conducive for the Tour de Central Celebes (TdCC) on November 6-8, 2017. Indonesia's most wanted militant Abu Wardah Santoso in the past several years ran a radical training camp in Poso, where a series of conflicts had killed a lot of people at the time. Santoso was linked to a number of deadly attacks against police officers and civilians, but then he was killed with two other militants in a shootout with security forces in July 2016. Since then, the security situation in Poso has gradually returned to normal, and the area is increasingly safe and conducive for tourist visits, including the implementation the international cycling race of TdCC. The TdCC international cycling race will cover a total distance of 487 kilometers and pass through the districts of Tojo Unauna, Poso, Parigi Moutong, Sigi, and the city of Palu. But when passing through the Poso District, the participants of the cycling race should not worry about the security situation, or their safety. Matindas J. Rumambi, a member of the Provincial Legislative Assembly, remarked in Palu on Tuesday that the TdCC will boost the confidence of foreign tourists in Poso District. He admitted that the district was in the past being perceived in a negative light by the global community, as the Santoso-led terrorist group was hiding in Poso. In a sense, the security conditions in Poso were viewed as not being normal, so foreigners, including foreign tourists, were reluctant to visit tourist attractions in the area. However, Rumambi noted that in reality, the current security situation in Poso is getting more conducive, and the region's economy, in the last few years, has again started showing signs of recovery. Rumambi believes that the international cycling race, whose participants are mostly foreign citizens, will boost Poso's image at the international level. "The government and people of Central Sulawesi are pinning high hopes on the event, so that Poso's image would improve at the international level," he said. Rumambi expressed belief that the TdCC international cycling race would boost international confidence, so foreign tourists would no longer feel apprehensive to visit the area. "I am optimistic that in future, after this event ends and the foreign participants return to their country, they would promote the beautiful panoramic views of Central Sulawesi and the security situation in the region to their friends," Rumambi said. Thus, increasingly more number of foreign tourists would visit Central Sulawesi, including Poso District, which has several interesting tourist attractions. In addition to boosting international trust, the TdCC is expected to increase the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the province in the years to come. Rumambi is optimistic that the international cycling race of Tour de Central Celebes will boost foreign tourist arrivals. "We positively welcome and highly laud Governor Longki Djanggola who has initiated this international cycling race," Rumambi remarked here on Monday. According to Rumambi, the activity needs to be supported by all parties, including the community, as most of the participants are from various countries. "The participants and guests of TdCC from abroad actually want to see firsthand our area that has several interesting and unique tourist attractions," he affirmed. Hence, the government and public should welcome and ensure the success of the first-ever international cycling race that will pass through four districts and a city in Central Sulawesi. Hence, Rumambi appealed to the local government and society, including tourism businessmen in Central Sulawesi, to utilize this opportunity well to increase the number of tourist arrivals. In the meantime, Central Sulawesi Transportation Office Chief Abdul Haris Renggah said all related parties will prioritize, supervise, and secure the pathways to be passed by the TdCC participants. "We have instructed the transportation offices in several districts and cities in Central Sulawesi to give full attention to the routes that will be passed by the participants," he remarked. According to Renggah, all related parties have coordinated to secure the routes, so that the TdCC participants do not experience obstacles. In addition, the areas to be traversed by the Tour de Central Celebes participants will make preparations to hold a culture-based welcome ceremony and serve traditional culinary delicacies according to the local wisdom. "Each stopover area will organize its own cultural and art attraction and offer culinary delights to welcome the participants of the cycling race and to entertain them," Lamasitudju remarked in Palu on Tuesday. He reiterated that each district and city will hold a regional culinary exhibition, cultural performances, and dances to welcome and entertain the participants of the TdCC cycling race. Lamasitudju said that until now, preparations for implementing the TdCC had reached 90 percent completion; hence, the Central Sulawesi provincial government is committed to ensuring the success of these activities. He explained that 15 teams, comprising 10 teams from 30 countries in the world and five teams from Indonesia, will participate in the TdCC international cycling race. The Tourism Ministry is promoting the tourist destinations and attractions of Central Sulawesi. The ministry is promoting the province's marine, nature, culinary, and culture, and tourist attractions through festivals, online advertising, and the international cycling race of Tour de Central Celebes.