TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) held a Lunar New Year Festival themed Sincia With Love on February 24 and 25 in Peninsula Island, Nusa Dua, Bali. The event was held to attract Chinese tourists.

"This activity is one of ITDC efforts to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting Bali especially to Nusa Dua," said ITDC Director Abdulbar M. Mansoer in Nusa Dua, Bali, on yesterday.

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Abdulbar explained that the festival was also held to appreciate Chinese tourists for contributing a highly significant occupancy rate at local hotels. The event, Abdulbar added, is also aimed at bringing back tourists from China after Mount Agung eruption.

"Currently, the number Chinese tourists [visiting Bali] has returned to 80 percent after dropping in November last year, and hopefully the figure will return to that before the eruption," he said.

Abdulbar claimed that so far, tourists from China are very enthusiastic to visit tourist destinations managed by the ITDC. Various attractions in the area are also able to attract visitors who do not particularly stay in Nusa Dua area.

"As a highly developed tourism country, we hope tourists from China can support the [national] tourism [sector] in the future," said Abdulbar.

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A number of traditional Chinese arts such as Lion ance or Barongsai, Liong Dragon Dance, and Wushu martial arts were featured to during the event.

Not only traditional Chinese art performances, a number of Bali traditional arts such as Ngelawang Barong (a traditional preparatory ritual to neutralize the universe, rejecting any kind of diseases and bad), Gamelan (Balinese traditional music) performance, and Joged Pong dance were also featured in this festival.

ANTARA