Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy is targeting the island of Flores in the Eastern Nusa Tenggara as an up-and-coming religious tourism destination holding a specific attraction for Roman Catholic travelers.
As reported by Prioritas.com, Sisilia Jemana, Head of the Public Communications Division for the Labuan Bajo Tourism Authority (BPOLBF), has contacted and coordinated with the many Catholic Dioceses spread across the Island of Flores. Jemana has spoken with the bishops of Ende, Larantuka, Maumere, Ruteng, and Labuan Bajo.
Jemana has also held discussions with the tourism services in the nine regencies of Flores.
The meetings with local tourism and religious leaders were Focus Group Discussions (FGD) held online.
Sisilna Jemana explained that the FGDs discussed local tourism potential and possible strategies for developing Catholic-themed religious tourism on Flores.
The group continues to work to develop spiritual tourism concepts and ideas and undertake concrete steps to attract Catholic Tourists to the island of Flores. Catholic-theme tourism will also contribute positively to the local economy while enriching the spiritual lives of travelers.
The same discussion groups also designed cross-stakeholder tools to develop religious tourism activity centers, creating a management and promotion model for promoting integrated Catholic religious tourism routes across the entire mainland of Flores. Plans were also discussed to create religious events or festivals based in Flores.
The Acting Main Director of BPOLBF, Frans Teguh, underlined the strong potential of Flores as a religious tourism destination.
It was said that this FGD is also designed to be a cross-stakeholder tool in developing religious tourism activity centers, creating a management model for religious tourism destinations on Flores Island, promoting integrated Catholic religious tourism routes on the mainland of Flores Island, providing Travel Patterns/Tourist Travel Maps. Catholic religious pilgrimage on Flores Island and developing religious events or festivals for promotion on a national and international scale will also be prepared.
Meanwhile, Frans Teguh, the acting director of BPOLBF, said that Flores Island has very strong religious tourism potential.
The Director of the Pastoral Center in the Diocese of Ruteng, RD. Marthin Chen said the Diocese of Ruteng agrees with the concept of religious tourism initiated by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy through BPOLBF.
Father Martin enthusiastically endorsed that religious tourism can be developed on Flores Island.
“Tourism is a pilgrimage to discover God’s traces in the beauty of natural creation and the joy of human encounters. “The entire history of these traces and spiritual activities is Catholic spiritual wealth that can be explored in support of the development of Catholic pilgrimage religious tourism programs and help each pilgrim to find traces of God in his life and the lives of those around him,” explained Father Marthin.
According to Sisilia, BPOLBF will compile a travel map and Calendar of Events (CoE) for Flores Island Catholic Religious Tourism.
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