Hotels Fully Booked During Vesak Day Celebration at Borobudur Temple

TheIndonesia.co - Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has revealed that the Vesak Day celebration at Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, has brought in a significant amount of tourists to the area, and in return, opened up economic opportunities for small businesses.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) nearby Borobudur complex benefited from the public holiday. He also confirmed that hotels were fully booked in the days ahead of the big religious day.

“We were informed that all hotels were fully booked, so we stayed at the [state-owned homestay project] Balkondes Karanganyar. Restaurants got increasing orders, and this really stimulates tourism and revives creative economy, especially in super-priority destination Borobudur,” Uno said in a statement on Tuesday, May 17, after visiting the world-famous temple.

The Ministry also revealed that 500,000 to 1 million tourists could actually come to Borobudur Temple to celebrate Vesak Day, but the number of visitors in the destination was still limited.

However, he called for all stakeholders to continue marketing and offering good services, so the opportunities stay beyond the holiday.

“We must anticipate this as it’s a part of economic and MSMEs’ recovery. We will tabulate the data because this is also a positive signal for business owners like homestays that have also been fully booked,” Uno explained.

In the near future, the government has also planned a number of events to be held at Borobudur that will also involve local communities.

“We will also initiate world-class events that will attract international and domestic tourists,” the Minister revealed.

Deputy for tourism products and event organizing at the Ministry Rizki Handayani added that the events will center on Borobudur’s relief.

“We will also develop gastronomic event. On May 19, a chef from the UK will delve into local gastronomy based on Borobudur’s relief,” Handayani explained.