"There is a new route from Aegela to Mbay town, Nagekeo District," Marius Ardu Jelamu, head of the NTT tourism office, said here on Thursday.
The distance was extended after a one-week survey with the cooperation of the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry.
The ministry has allocated budget amounting from Rp30 billion to Rp40 billion per district for road repair along Larantuka-Labuan Bajo route.
So far, 13 teams comprising of over 100 cyclists from Europe, America, Asia, and Australia have confirmed their participation in the TdF.
The TdF, which was to be organized from May 9 to 14, has now been postponed to be held from July 24 to 29.
NTT Governor Frans Lebu Raya has expressed his hope that the international cycling event will be beneficial for the public, particularly the residents of Flores Island.
"Preparations for TdF 2016 were short. Not many people were ready. But, this year, we hope the public are more ready so they could enjoy financial benefits too," he remarked.
He urged the local community to demonstrate hospitality to the tours participants.
"Friendliness and comfort are the main keys for everyone to make them return to NTT," Lebu Raya asserted.
TdF will start in Larantuka, East Flores, and finish in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District.
Its route will cover Larantuka-Maumere (Sikka District), Ende District, Nagekeo District, East Manggarai District, Manggarai, and Labuan Bajo.
The opening ceremony will be held in Lewoleba.
NTT, known as a province of 1 thousand islands, plans to organize the two international cycling events on the islands of Flores and Timor annually to promote tourism in the region and at the international level.
The province offers a wide array of natural scenery, culture, ethnicity, handcrafts, ancient sites, and unique traditions that could be showcased to foreign tourists, he revealed. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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