The new plan for Papua tourism is ready to launch. Indonesia Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is setting up to revive Papua Cross Border Festival. As its name suggests, the border in Jayapura City between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea will become the fitting place to hold the event.
Sandiaga Uno, the Tourism Ministry, stated this festival revival at Skouw during his time visiting the National Border Crossing Post. The ministry has prepared for this festival and other plans for Papua tourism. The inauguration of the Papua Youth Creative Hub will also positively impact the tourism sector.
The Planning for Cross Border Festival
The main tourism plan is to revive Cross Border Festival. This is the outline of the plan.
1. Will be Held on the Border of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
The festival will be on the border between the two nations. Hence, this is a collaboration event between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea always maintain a good relationship. This festival could establish bilateral collaboration between these two nations.
2. Expected to Boost the Number of Tourists
After visiting the National Crossing Border Post in Skouw, Sandiaga Uno found the border is well-maintained. It also has facilities to support this festival. He will report this to the President to start with this plan.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visitors through the border is decreasing. Sandiaga Uno hopes the festival could bring visitors back to the border.
For now, the border records tourists entering Indonesian territory, reaching 1,500 tourists per day. Hopefully, the Cross Border festival can boost the number to reach 2,000 visitors per day.
However, it still requires some preparations. The first one is to improve the infrastructure in Skouw and Jayapura.
With the increasing number of visitors to the border area, the government must be ready to provide new infrastructure and fix the broken ones. Sandiaga Uno will propose the budget in collaboration with Jayapura City Tourism Office.
3. There Will Be Various Shows
The ministry prepares various events for the festival. Visitors can enjoy various shows, from music to film and art. There will be cultural exhibitions. The ministry also will hold MSME bazaars during the festival.
Also, the ministry will hold sporting events. The one on the agenda is the race across territories to strengthen the bilateral relationship between both nations.
4. This Year, PYCH will Participate in the Festival
Papua Youth Creative Hub will also have its part in the tourism sector. This creative hub gives more opportunities for showcasing the creativity of young Papuans. The MSME bazaars can help the creative economy sector in Papua.
Cross Border Race in Papua
Besides the economic activities, the ministry proposes a 10-kilometer race. The race will go across Indonesia and Papua New Guinea territories. The first 5 kilometers are in Indonesia territory, and the next 5 kilometers are in Papua New Guinea territory.
Matias Mano, The Head of the Jayapura City Tourism Office, gave his statement on Thursday. This race is to start the tourism plans for Jayapura City. Both Indonesian and Papua New Guinea citizens are welcome to join the race.
Hopefully, this race could attract more tourists to visit the border area in Jayapura City.
Matias Mano added the rebranding plan from the ministry. Jayapura City will get its title as a creative city, which sounds similar to Maluku Province, known as a city of music. This plan aligns with the President’s plan to hold a street carnival in Jayapura City. Matias Mano explained the upcoming Danau Sentani Festival includes the street carnival as President’s plan.
This festival will be ready to welcome visitors in June 2023. Related to Jayapura City’s rebranding, the local government of Jayapura has several options, from fashion city to dance city. Papua Cross Border Festival will start the long plan for Jayapura City to increase tourist visits in the coming years.
