Borobudur to get Rp 1 billion per year for tourism development

Thursday, 10 March 2011

ANTARA News Agency

The Culture and Tourism Ministry is ready to disburse Rp 1 billion (US$114,000) per year to develop the area around the Borobudur Buddhist monument in Central Java in efforts to increase income from one of Indonesia's top tourist attractions.

“The Borobudur [monument] complex is among 15 tourist destinations in Indonesia that the Culture and Tourism Ministry is targeting to develop in 2011,” tourism development official Winarno Sudjas said Thursday in Magelang, as reported by kompas.com.

He added the funds would mostly be channeled in form of supporting programs, including empowerment programs for the local community, instead of being disbursed in cash.

Winarno said other tourist destinations that had been targeted were Raja Ampat in Papua, Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Tanjung Puting in Central Kalimantan.

The policy, he said, is expected to help increase the number of foreign visitors to Indonesia by up to 20 percent between 2010 and 2015.