REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDUNG -- West Java will promote its historical railway tour to boost foreign tourist visits to the region, the Province's Tourism and Culture Office stated. Head of the office Dedi Taufik stated here on Wednesday that the railway tour promotion will be conducted during a two-day activity themed “Smiling West Java Historical Railway Tour” planned to be held on Aug 21-22.

"The West Java Tourism Office will promote its new tourism agenda. This promotion is part of the activities to commemorate the 74th anniversary of West Java," he explained.

The government will cooperate with state-run railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) to facilitate the tour program for domestic and foreign tourists. "We are ready to open the tour for the public, as we want to boost tourist visits, especially those from European countries," Taufik stated.

Taufik remarked that the historical railway tour is also aimed at preserving the historical values of the railway system in Indonesia that had been built since the era of colonialism. During the colonialism era, trains were the means of transportation for the Dutch colonial and aimed at supporting the development of infrastructure at the time.

Some of the railway stations built during the Dutch colonial era are still functioning to serve passengers, such as the Bogor Railway Station. Bogor Station was a luxury railway station at the time, built to serve the Dutch high-ranking officials.

The tour will cover the Lampegan tunnel, tea plantation, and Mount Padang area. The West Java governor, ambassador of Germany, British ambassador, and the Dutch ambassador will join the tour, Taufik revealed.

"We want to show that our railway lines pass through hidden paradise in West Java," he added.

According to data of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of foreign tourist visits to West Java during the period from January to February 2019 has reached 27,701, or rose 16.4 percent as compared to the corresponding period of 2018.

Most tourists came from Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and China. The number of Malaysian tourists during the period had reached 18,636, increasing from 16,724 tourist visits during the same period of 2018.

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