Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The government of Banjarmasin City, South Kalimantan Province, organized the 2024 Indonesian Heritage Cities Network (JKPI) Expo or Expo JKPI 2024 where tens of cities and districts in Indonesia attended.
"At least 34 district and city members of JKPI are present in Banjarmasin. We display heritage cultures of our regions," said Deputy Mayor of Banjarmasin H Arifin Noor when opening the expo here Wednesday.
Held from September 18 to 22, 2024 at the Menara Pandang (Observation Tower) attraction right on the Martapura River Embankment or popularly known as Siring in the heart of the city, the Expo JKPI 2024 displaying various products and typical goods of the regions and culture.
"This expo is part of the 6th Congress of the Indonesian Heritage Cities Network 2024, with Banjarmasin as the host," he said.
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As the host, he said, Banjarmasin certainly has an interest in introducing objects of heritage value which must be preserved.
"Such as Sasirangan cloth, the tomb of Sultan Suriansyah and Kota Lama (Old City) neighborhood, which show Banjarmasin's potential as cultural city," he said.
The City of Banjarmasin, which is 498 years old, and part of Heritage cities Network Forum in Indonesia, is certainly rich in cultural heritage.
Arifin said that the city is ready to collaborate more widely, including with international network that are expected to be connected overseas.
"We hope this will be our chance to share knowledge with other big cities, including on how they preserve history and culture," he said.
He also emphasized the tourism potential of Banjarmasin, which is known as the city of a thousand rivers.
Rivers in Banjarmasin, he said, has important role in the history of transportation, trade and development of Islam.
He stated that the revitalization of small rivers and maintenance of large rivers continues, so that they function optimally both as transportation routes and leading tourist attraction.
"With this event, we can maximize opportunities to increase local generated revenue (PAD) through tourism and culture sector," said Arifin.
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