Sanur Festival Puts Spotlight on Bali’s Rich Heritage

Bali, Indonesia - A colorful flotilla of local fishing boats, known as jukung, was one of the highlights of the Sanur Village Festival in Bali, an annual event held to promote tourism at the coastal resort that wound up on Sunday.

The theme for this year’s five-day festival was “Saha Nuhur,” the origin of the name Sanur. Saha means wishes, while nuhur means holy light, or enlightenment.

“This is to trace back to our roots, before the area developed into an international tourism destination,” festival committee chief Ida Bagus Shidarta Putra said on Sunday.

The 100-jukung parade invoked Sanur’s past role as a center for fishermen.

It is now an area favored by international tourists, with its hotels and restaurants contributing an annual average of Rp 50 billion ($5.6 million) in taxes.

“It’s not easy, especially since tourism collapsed in the wake of the bombings in 2002 and 2005,” Ida said. “That is why we are willing to allocate Rp 1 billion to stage this four-day event.”

The festival featured attractions such as coral planting, an underwater festival, tree planting, cultural shows and a food festival that showcased Sanur’s traditional seafood recipes.

“It’s very beautiful to be at the beach while watching huge kites,” said Edmund, a Russian tourist.

The Sanur Village Festival is one of the main events on the calendar for the Visit Indonesia tourism program.

Former culture and tourism minister Gede Ardika praised the festival organizers, saying that the event showed that tourism development was not just about fancy hotels, swimming pools and restaurants, but also cultural and community activities.

“This helps differentiate Bali from other tourism destinations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Made Wianta, a renowned Balinese artist, said Sanur’s tourism lifeblood lay in its art, culture, environment and infrastructure.

“Sanur needs to maintain its local identity and wisdom amid the tourism frenzy,” he said. Made Arya Kencana

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com
Picture: http://bali-news-views.blogspot.com

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