Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - While Indonesia is promoting 10 new tourist destinations, dubbed the "10 New Balis", the city administration of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, targets to be the 11th New Bali as a river-based attraction.
"The Indonesia government has launched 10 New Balis, with the existing destinations are all about mountains, beaches, cultures, and others, but there is none of river-based," Head of Banjarmasin Culture and Tourism Agency Ikhsan Alhaq remarked in a press conference here, Tuesday (Feb 11, 2020).
Banjarmasin, he said, is very reasonable to be the 11th New Bali for the geographical potential it has in the form of many rivers. "Thus Banjarmasin is dubbed the "City of a Thousand Rivers". We have a total of 102 rivers with three large rivers are Barito River, Martapura River and Kuin River," he pointed out.
The city, Ikhsan said, not only well known from the river used as a medium for the mobility of people and goods but as a culture.
"Even it has come to belief system, tradition, stories or fairy tales and other culture. It what brought the mayor of Banjarmasin to win the Culture Award (from PWI)," he explained.
Now the government is managing this potential through strategic promotions until it becomes a destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.
"In the near future, precisely on February 21-22, 2020 we will launch a calendar of tourism. We even involve travel agents from Bali to target foreign tourists. Especially now that we have direct flights from Banjarmasin to Denpasar," he said.
The involvement of young people in the promotion has also been inseparable. with the advance of the digital world, they are named as tourism ambassadors.
"We also have information on our website, then our strategy to make Banjarmasin as a place of meeting in Indonesia, such as the successful 2020 National Press Day celebrations and various other national activities," he said.
The press-conference with a theme of press role in tourism development was also attended by Central PWI's Director of the Competency Test for Journalists (UKW) Rajab Ritonga and Jouhar from the Press Council.
Jouhar said the press strongly support the effort of Banjarmasin city Government in promoting the river-based tourism. "We strongly support and ask the media to come together to advance this region. Then we suggest the city government to pay attention on waste management. Cleanliness in tourism is very important," he said.
Meanwhile, Rajab Ritonga said that tourism is sold with imaging and not be separated from the role of media. "Journalists for tourism coverage can read the tourism coverage guidebook. Tourism is inseparable from the media," he said.
