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The governor of Bengkulu is offering investors in the tourism
sector the opportunity to use land along the coast free of charge in an
attempt to jump-start the tourism industry in the province.
"But we will only give free land-use rights to investments worth more
than Rp 20 billion after we have approved the concept and determined
how many workers can be employed as a result of the investment,"
Governor Agusrin M. Najamudin said Wednesday during a gathering in
Jakarta to announce the holding of Bengkulu's annual Tabot Festival
from Jan. 19 to 29.
Agusrin said that land-use rights would be granted for periods ranging
from 25 to 50 years, adding that the province had 530 kilometers of
coastline and was in the process of upgrading its infrastructure so as
to become more attractive to investors.
"This is a good approach toward encouraging tourism," Culture and
Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said on the sidelines of the gathering.
He added that he was quite sure that Bengkulu, with its colorful Tabot
Festival, had the potential to become a top tourist destination.
The festival is an annual event commemorating the death of the Prophet
Muhammad's grandson, Husein, in the Karbala war in Iraq. It is widely
believed that the first Muslims who arrived in Bengkulu province
brought the tradition with them.
This year's festival will be held at the Merdeka Square, also known as
Tugu Kampung Cina, in Bengkulu city. "The Tabot Festival is a big
event. It should be experienced by people from all over the world,"
said Jero.
The Bengkulu administration is hoping that this year's festival will be
attended by some 150,000 domestic and overseas tourists.
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