Prospective Garuda passengers arriving from Jakarta to attend the festival in Pekanbaru will be accommodated ..."
Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia fully supports the tourism event of Siak River Festival in the Riau provincial city of Pekanbaru on June 2-4, 2016, Garuda General Manager for Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Refki Riyantori stated.

"We are fully supporting the festival, although it is being held for the first time this year as we want to promote tourism in Riau Province," Riyantori remarked here on Wednesday.

Garuda is cooperating with six star-rated hotels in Pekanbaru, and thus, the airline company is supporting the Siak River Festival by offering transportation and accommodation facilities to visitors keen on attending the event, Riyantori noted.

"Prospective Garuda passengers arriving from Jakarta to attend the festival in Pekanbaru will be accommodated in six strategic hotels, not far from the festivals venue," he pointed out.

The festival aims to restore the deteriorating condition of the 400-kilometer-long Siak River, dividing the resource-rich province of Riau.

The local community and industries are responsible for harming and polluting the river, which flows through five districts in the province.

Intensive development of housing areas on the banks of the river and the conversion of the nearby forest areas into palm oil plantations have led to the deteriorating condition of the river.

Historically, Pekanbaru was named by the Portuguese military in 1514 when they were exploring the Siak River, and they named it Rio, which means a river in Portuguese language.

At that time, Pekanbaru was a kingdom country, long before Indonesia came into existence and gained independence.

Kasultanan Siak Sri Inderapura, a kingdom in Pekanbaru, was built by Little King. Pekanbaru was under the rule of the kingdom of Kasultanan Siak Sri Inderapura.

During the governance of Dutch Indies over Indonesia, all the kingdoms in Indonesia at that time were part of the Dutch colony, including Kasultanan Siak Sri Inderapura.

With the Dutch losing the territory to Japan at the start of World War II and the Japanese occupation ending after the war, Indonesians fought and gained independence, and Pekanbaru and Riau then became part of the Republic of Indonesia.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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