"Currently, we are making preparations to develop tourist villages in each district. In the initial stage, the target is to develop 15 tourism villages," the office's head, Windy Prihastari, stated here on Wednesday.
The rural tourist destinations will highlight local traditions and culture apart for the natural landscape, he noted.
The pilot project is expected to help boost the local economy and welfare of the local villagers, he remarked.
"The presence of tourism villages is expected to have an impact on the livelihoods of rural communities," he stated.
West Kalimantan has 584 tourist destinations spread across 14 districts and cities.
In the meantime, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia had reached 127,510 in April 2021, decreasing from 158,070 visits during the corresponding period last year. "As compared to the previous month, March 2021, the number of foreign tourist visits in April 2021 also decreased by 2.61 percent," BPS Deputy Head Setianto stated during a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Of the total number of tourist arrivals, 18,400 travelled by air, 35,940 by sea, and 73,170 by means of land transportation.
Based on entries at airports, the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia in April 2021 rose sharply by 2,250, or 45 percent, as compared to those in April 2020, and was also high as compared to that in March 2021.
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Translator: Dedi, Fardah
Editor: Suharto
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