We expect (that there will be) a consistency. Hence, we urge that the festivals be held twice a week.
Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir urged all airports managed by state-run airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP), specifically Yogyakarta International Airport, Kulon Progo District, Yogyakarta Province, to prepare facilities as cultural showcases.

"We had held cultural festivals at the airports in Jakarta and Bali before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred," the minister stated during a cultural dialog with artists of Yogyakarta and Central Java here on Wednesday.

Thohir noted that airports are the meeting points of domestic and foreign tourists.

Hence, in January 2020, Thohir had pointed to his side having initiated the convening of the cultural festivals at the airports in Jakarta and Bali, though the events had to be stopped due to the pandemic.

On account of the fact currently, 70 percent of the tourism destinations in Bali and Jakarta as well as 60 percent of them in Yogyakarta have been reopened, the minister urged state-owned airport managers to hold the cultural festival again while lauding the arts performers.

“We expect (that there will be) a consistency. Hence, we urge that the festivals be held twice a week," the minister remarked.

He expressed hope that the festivals would be able to create job opportunities and increase the income of performers.

President Director of PT Angkasa Pura I Faik Fahmi remarked that attempts to make Yogyakarta International Airport as a cultural showcase are important to maintain the reputation of the region as a cultural city.

"Thus, we want to make Yogyakarta more special by implementing cultural activities at the airport," he remarked.

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He stated that to date, Yogyakarta International Airport had become a stage for cultural activists and performers to display their various works at the airport on Saturdays and Sundays every week.

"It (the airport) is a stage for artists not only to perform dances but also for paintings, batik, and sculptures,” Fahmi noted.

He stated that 72 villages across Yogyakarta take turns to perform at the public facility.

“I think it is a good attempt to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.

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Translator: Sutarmi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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