Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - Bengkulu Governor Junaidi Hamsyah has said the province needs to have a calendar informing when Rafflesia flowers will bloom, to help tourists plan their visits to Bengkulu.

"So far, we do not have means to know when Rafflesia flowers will bloom. Therefore, we should come up with a Rafflesia flower bloom calendar to attract tourists," the governor said here recently.

He hoped that an international symposium on Rafflesia and Amorphopallus, being held in Bengkulu City from September 14 to 16, will yield recommendations about ways to preserve the two rare flowers and also formulate a Rafflesia calendar.

"Scientists could study or predict when those flowers will bloom, so that an annual calendar could be drafted," he stated.

Rafflesia and Amorphopallus are among the touristic attractions of Bengkulu Province, the governor remarked.

Bengkulu, known as "Rafflesia Land," has chosen the Rafflesia flower as its emblem.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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