Semarang, a Central Java city known for its acculturation of Javanese and Chinese cultures, has been named as the cleanest tourist destination in Southeast Asia.
The ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard (ACTCS) bestowed the title on Semarang for the year of 2020 to 2022.
Semarang city secretary Iswar Aminuddin received the award on behalf of Mayor Hendrar Prihadi in Brunei Darussalam on Thursday.
Hendrar said the city owed various parties for the accomplishment, including members of the public.
“Stakeholders, the Semarang administration, members of the public, and the media [played a role],” he said to The Jakarta Post on Sunday on the sidelines of an event in Semarang.
“Everyone has committed to changing Semarang for the better.”
According to the Head of the Culture and Tourism Agency of Indriyasari, the award will encourage a big jump in the tourism sector in Semarang. "In 2019 the target of 7.2 million tourists has been met. Hopefully this award will encourage more tourists to visit Semarang," said Indriyasa, as in his written statement, as reported by Kompas.
Semarang is home to 259 parks and green spaces, both private and public, at the time of writing. Around 29 parks were revitalized in 2018. In addition, the administration also managed three new park projects last year.
In an effort to improve the quality of the tourist experience, the local administration has announced that 72 tourist events are in the pipeline. Two such events, the Sam Poo Parade (traditional Chinese carnival commemorating the arrival of Admiral Cheng Ho in Semarang) and the Old Town Festival, have been included on the Tourism Ministry’s Calendar of Events this year.
