Borobudur Now Reaping Outcome Of Obama's Visit

JAKARTA, Aug 11 (Antara) - Former US President Barack Obama's visit to Borobudur last June has apparently made many foreign tourists more interested in coming to that world's largest magnificent ancient Buddhist temple in Magelang District, Central Java Province. Following the visit by Obama and his family, the Borobudur temple is now reaping the outcome by recording a 100 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals. Borobudur Temple Service Tour Manager A.Y. Suhartanto affirmed in Magelang on Thursday that the visit of foreign tourists to the temple has increased by 100 percent. According to him, the increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting the Borobudur temple is in line with the long holiday period in Europe. "Earlier, about 700 to 800 foreign tourists visited the temple per day, but now the number can reach 1,400 per day," Suhartanto remarked. He mentioned that the number of foreign tourists visiting Borobudur began to increase since July, and it is expected to continue to heighten because the holiday period in Europe starting from July to October. Suhartanto noted that the number of visitors to Borobudur is dominated by tourists from Europe, Japan, China and Malaysia. Although he did not mention the existence of foreign tourists from the United States, it can be ascertained that the increase in foreign tourist visits to Borobudur was inseparable from Obama's visit. The three-day visit of the former US president on June 28-30, 2017 to Yogyakarta was indeed expected to increase the the number of foreign tourist arrivals. Obama and his family arrived in the special autonomous province of Yogyakarta at noon on June 28, and later in the evening, they visited Borobudur Temple in Magelang where they enjoyed the beauty of the temple. There, the former US president lauded the panorama of Borobudur and its proper maintenance, as the temple symbolizes religious harmony and tolerance in the country. Obama and his family arrived in the Borobudur area at 4:35 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) and scaled to the top of the temple, which he was visiting for the second time after the first one when he was a child. He claimed to have visited the largest Buddhist temple in the world during his childhood in Indonesia, but he said the second visit on was the first with his family. PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko President Director Edy Setijono, who accompanied Obama during the visit to Borobudur, remarked that the former US president was impressed, as it was his second visit and the first with his family. "We hope Obamas visit would have a positive impact on tourism in Borobudur and its local community. The visit of the former president indicated that the temple is a safe place to visit," Setijono remarked at the time. After visiting Borobudur, Obama visited the Prambanan Temple in Sleman District, Yogyakarta, and thus, the yard of the temple had been sterilized for the visit. Hundreds of tourists who had passed through the entry gate into the temple yard on that morning were diverted by the security officials to Sewu Temple, located on the north side of Prambanan Temple. However many of them, who were eager to catch a glimpse of Obama, opted to remain outside the Prambanan Temple area and waited for the arrival of the former US president. "I opted to wait here because who knows, I can see Obama passing through this gate," Ade Anggoro, one of the tourists from Tangerang, Banten Province, stated. Obama arrived at the Prambanan Temple at around 9 a.m. WIB, and hundreds of joint Police and Military security officials were seen on guard at every corner of the temple. The management of Prambanan Temple had tasked an archaeologist from the Yogyakartas Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency, Wahyu Astuti, to serve as a guide for Obama and his family during their visit to the temple. "Yes, it is true. I was asked by the Prambanan Temple authority to be a guide during Obamas visit. Obama will visit the temple on Thursday morning, and I should be ready for that," Astuti noted here on Wednesday. As a guide for Obama, Astuti will focus on the importance of the temple rather than its history. "The temple is a very special historical heritage site. It is a masterpiece of the Indonesian ancestors. This masterpiece is second to none in the world," Astuti stated. Apart from Astuti, two other archaeologists from Yogyakartas Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency -- Manggar Sari Ayuwati and Ary Setiastuti -- will accompany Obama and his family during their visit to the Prambanan Temple. In the meantime, Yogyakarta Tourism Office Chief for Tourism Destination Development Sector Arya Nugrahadi remarked that Obamas visit would further strengthen the safe image of Yogyakarta as a leading tourist destination. Nugrahadi expressed optimism that following the visit of Obama and his family, the number of foreign tourists from Europe, the US, and Asia to Yogyakarta would increase, and now it really comes true. According to Nugrahadi, Obamas visit to Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, and other historical sites in Yogyakarta would further demonstrate to the international community that the province is one of the ancient centers of civilization, which is interesting to visit. The Yogyakarta Tourism Office is targeting to attract 400 thousand foreign tourists in 2017, or an increase from the 2016 target of 360 thousand. Yogyakarta, with its rich history and culture as well as several tourist attractions, continues to intensify its efforts to promote its tourism sector. As one of the leading cultural centers in Java, Yogyakarta is blessed with numerous scenic tourist attractions, which are being developed and promoted to attract as many tourists as possible.