TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Lewokluok Traditional Village in East Flores Regency of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) clinched the top place in the most popular traditional village category in the 2021 Anugerah Pesona Indonesia (API) tourism award.

Head of the East Flores Tourism and Culture Agency, Petrus Pemeng Liku, said the local government and local people are thrilled with the award. “The Lewokluok Traditional Village wins the first place in the 2021 API Award with 63.15 percent vote,” he said in a statement, Thursday, December 2.

Petrus hoped with the presence of the award, the Lewokluok Traditional Village would be increasingly popular so as to attract domestic and international tourist visits.

Located in Demon Pagong District, the village offers rich cultural tours for visitors. One of them is Koke Bale, a traditional stage house that is often used as a place to carry out various traditional rituals and to unite indigenous peoples.

The traditional village also has a typical Lian Namang dance usually performed in certain traditional rituals.

In addition, Lewokluok village has a number of springs, customary forests, artificial ponds, and beaches with beautiful sunsets. The village also has its ikat weaving studio with local motifs passed down from generation to generation, as well as special foods derived from local food.

Petrus said that this achievement also brings motivation for the East Flores government to prepare for the future development of the Lewokluok traditional village. “We have to think about how to look after and organize this traditional village in the future, preserve cultural assets and others in order to attract tourists,” he concluded.

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