The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry will stage the 2012 Musi Triboatton international water sports competition in South Sumatra from Nov. 6 to 11 in order to boost the region's tourism.
South Sumatra tourism agency head Tony Panggarbesi said on Saturday that there were three water sports, rafting, canoeing and traditional boat race, that would be held on a 500-meter stretch of the Musi river, which crosses three regencies – Empat Lawang, Musi Rawas, Banyuasin – and a municipality, Palembang.
Ten teams from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Nepal, Cambodia and Myanmar would participate in the competition, he added.
Tony said that the agency hoped that the competition could boost Musi river tourism promotion. “We can promote many tourism sites along the river,” he said.
He cited crocodile and the local belinda fish as Musi's unique fauna and Kemaro Island near Palembang as one of many tourism attractions in the region.
The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry's director for image-building, Esthy Reko Astuty, said the Musi river was a busy trade route during the era of the Sriwijaya Kingdom as well as a cultural center in the seventh century. “We can revive the past glory through river tourism just like Thailand has developed its river cruises,” she said, as quoted by kompas.com.(cor/iwa)
Sourced: thejakartapost
