Aimed at increasing the number of domestic and foreign tourist arrivals to the city, the Malang municipal administration is now focusing on developing traditional shopping and historical tourism as new sectors, an official said recently.

Municipal culture and tourism agency head Diana Ina Wahyu said the administration would help subdistricts that had traditional shopping areas.

"We will supervise and develop the areas, such as those on Jl. Semeru," she said.

She added the agency would provide tents for traders and organize entertainment and performances to be held regularly in the shopping areas.

Diana said the agency would propose an annual budget of Rp 10 million (US$952) to supervise the traders and develop the shopping areas.

She added the administration was currently developing two traditional shopping areas, in Oro-oro Dowo subdistrict, Klojen district, and Sawojajar subdistrict, Kedungkandang district.

Both shopping areas only open on weekends.

In both places, she said, the agency had supervised 800 permanent traders with a total daily turnover of Rp 300 million.

"That figure is only from the registered traders. If we include unregistered traders, the turnover is much bigger," Diana said.

As an operator of the shopping areas, the municipality asked traders to pay security and sanitation levies of Rp 6,500 per trader.

Diana added the agency had cooperated with the Malang branch of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Tourism Travel Agency Association to introduce the shopping areas to domestic and foreign tourists.

She said many European tourists who stayed in the city also visited the traditional shopping areas.

"The shopping areas will be regularly introduced to tourists," she said.

"Besides attracting tourists, the traditional shopping areas can help boost the local economy."

Taufiq, 42, a noodle seller, said business had boomed with the shopping tourism program, adding he could sell 100 portions of noodles a day.

"I earn Rp 350,000 from selling chicken noodles, plus Rp 100,000 from beverages," said the Nongkojajar district resident.

Besides the shopping program, the administration is now identifying historical sites currently owned by individuals.

"We will label the sites. After the data is compiled, we will tell the owners the sites belong to the state. They may not exploit the heritage sites," Diana said.

She claimed the effort was aimed at enticing tourists to visit the former old kingdoms of Kanjuruhan and Gajayana in the Malang area.

She added the administration had collected 121 old statues and other heritage sites from the two old kingdoms that were currently on display at Mpu Kanwa Museum.

Data from the culture and tourism agency shows 243 foreign tourists and 239,907 domestic tourists visited the city in the first half of last year.

In 2007, 27,000 local and 3,000 foreign tourists visited the city.

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