ASEAN COUNTRIES INVITED TO PALEMBANG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Palembang, Indonesia, Sept 10 (ANTARA) - A number of ASEAN countries have been invited to join a Sriwijaya International Dragon Boat Festival (SIDBF) to be held in the Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra.

South Sumatra provincial administration spokesman Apriadi S Busri said here on Thursday he had sent invitations to a number of ASEAN countries to participate in the water sporting event.

Apriadi said the dragon boat festival which would showcase local culture and popular entertainment was expected to kick off in the second week of December this year at the Benteng Kuto Besak Plaza.

It is an annual event organized by the local government to introduce the local culture and entertainment to foreign as well as domestic visitors.

According to Apriadi, the dragon boat festival this year was intended to attract as many foreign tourists as possible to visit South Sumatra.

He said similar event last year was joined by participants from neighboring countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

Besides foreign participants from the neighboring countries, local dragon boat teams from Batam, Riau, Jambi, West Sumatra, East Kalimantan, Jakarta, Riau Islands, and Jakarta also participated in the event last year.***