The enthusiastic response of the community to Tour de Merapi is proof that the region’s tourism sector has begun to recover, according to the Sleman district tourism office, Yogyakarta Special Region.

“The community’s enthusiasm in the implementation of Tour de Merapi was quite high and ran smoothly. This showed the tourism sector in Sleman district has started to boost,” head of the Tourism Office of Sleman district, Suparmono, said in Sleman on Wednesday.

Tour De Merapi is an annual event, and this year was the 16th time it has been held since 2005, he noted.

This year’s event, which was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was attended by 224 participants, he informed.

“In the implementation, the participants had to pass through five posts: Tlogo Putri, Klangon, Sendang Joho Lanang, Candi Barong, and Lava Bantal. They also had to submit photos when arriving at each post,” Suparmono said.

At the presentation of the door prize to the Tour de Merapi winner, which was held virtually from Jogja Exotarium Mini Zoo on Tuesday (November 16, 2021), Sleman district head Kustini Sri Purnomo said the excitement of residents over Tour de Merapi proved that the event has its own following.

“Although in 2020 this activity could not be carried out because of the pandemic, this year’s enthusiasm was quite good,” Purnomo remarked.

According to her, during the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism activities have been halted due to the policy of limiting public activities. Thus, the implementation of Tour De Merapi in 2021 is a spirited return of tourism activities in Sleman, she said.

“In the future, I hope that tourism activities in Sleman can continue to be carried out, considering the many attractions offered here,” she added.

Source: Antara News