Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) government drives the growth of tourist visits through the Bale Nagi Festival that will be held in East Flores District in April 2023.
"The Bale Nagi Festival will be an event to increase tourist visits because it will be held after the Semana Santa religious event that is well-known to the world community," Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Office of NTT Province Zet Sony Libing noted in a statement received in Kupang, Monday.
Libing explained that in 2023, the provincial government is targeting tourist arrivals in NTT to reach one million that will be accelerated through the implementation of various cultural, religious, and other events.
The office head highlighted that one of the events being implemented to achieve the target was the Bale Nagi Festival in East Flores, which was supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy through the 2023 Kharisma Event Nusantara Program.
Libing said the festival is a special attraction for tourists, as it was held in the same month as the implementation of the Semana Santa religious ritual that is well-known to foreign countries.
Thus, he said, after tourists take part in the Semana Santa religious event ahead of Easter, they will continue to enjoy the beauty of natural, cultural, and culinary tourism, among other things, at the Bale Nagi Festival.
"Hence, the implementation of these two events will also encourage tourists to stay longer," he remarked.
Libing said implementation of the festival is one of the government's strategies to increase tourist visits to NTT.
He is optimistic that the target of tourist visits would be achieved with the support of festival events spread across various islands, such as Timor, Flores, Sumba, Alor, and Sabu.
"NTT has extraordinary natural, cultural, culinary, and other potential that attract tourists," he stated.
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