The Sabang Marine Festival (SMF), scheduled to be held on March 17-19, 2023, in the Tugu Merah Putih Area and Sabang Bay Harbor, will spotlight the concept of maritime activities and community culture.

“We will carry out this year’s SMF activities collaboratively by involving the Sabang Area Management Agency (BPKS), the Sabang City Government, the Government of Aceh through the Aceh Culture and Tourism Office, and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf),” Deputy BPKS Commercial and Investment Erwanto noted in his statement in Sabang, Aceh, Tuesday.

Erwanto explained that SMF, which bears the theme of “Gate of Indonesian Maritime Wealth,” has been named as one of the top national events of Indonesia’s 110 Best Events in Kharisma Event Nusantara (KEN) 2023. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will present various cultural and marine tourism attractions.

Colossal art performances and cultural parade attractions will be held on land and at sea with the “panglima laot” and fishermen, as the spearheads of maritime culture in Sabang City.

“This year, SMF is being held in collaboration, and we are only initiators. We hope this SMF will boost tourist visits to make Sabang an important destination,” he affirmed.

Assistant for the Economy and Development of the Secretary of the City of Sabang Faisal Azwar explained that SMF was the first signature event in Sabang, so it became a special event.

“This SMF will involve around one thousand participants, including artists, communities, fishermen, students, business actors, and government elements. With a spirit of collaboration and ownership, we believe this event will be a turning point for the revival of tourism and the economy of the people of Sabang,” Azwar, representing the Acting Mayor of Sabang Reza Fahlevi, stated.

Meanwhile, Head of Marketing for the Aceh Tourism and Culture Department (Disbudpar) T. Hendra Faisal stated that the launch of SMF 2023 with the new concept would offer a momentum for the revival of the Sabang people’s joint economy in the tourism sector.

“The Aceh government, through Disbudpar, will contribute to support this activity to make it lively. Insya Allah, (we will promote it) through various social media platforms and other forms of publication and include 100 dancers for a colossal dance that depicts Sabang from year to year,” Faisal, representing the Head of Aceh Disbudpar Almuniza Kamal, stated.

He noted that the reopening of international flights through the Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport does not rule out the possibility of foreign tourists coming to the Sabang Marine Festival.

“The Aceh Disbudpar is targeting 2.5 million tourist visits this year. Hopefully, SMF and the Aceh Cultural Week, which will be held in August, will be the biggest event contributing to tourist visits to Aceh. We must work together. Let us make this event a momentum to stimulate the community’s economy and develop tourism in Aceh in the future, especially in Sabang,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News