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Tourism Ministry offers Cheng Ho sea-route packages
The Tourism Ministry was offering tour packages tracing the sea routes made by Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho to attract tourists in nine regions, Tourism Minister Arif Yahya said in Batam, Riau Islands, on Sunday
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T
he Tourism Ministry was offering tour packages tracing the sea routes made by Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho to attract tourists in nine regions, Tourism Minister Arif Yahya said in Batam, Riau Islands, on Sunday.
Arif said the trip would be launched on Feb. 21 using a replica of Cheng Ho's ship.
'The sea route is part of Admiral Cheng Ho's important history, which brought the Chinese empire's peace message,' he said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Similar trips will also be offered in Aceh, Palembang, Bangka Belitung, Jakarta, Cirebon, Semarang, Surabaya and Bali, which were visited by the admiral.
Cheng Ho, or Zheng He, was a Muslim eunuch from the Ming Dynasty who led seven voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa between 1405 and 1433 under the auspice of Emperor Yongle.
Meanwhile, Riau Islands Tourism Agency head Guntur Sakti said the Cheng Ho sea route packages were created by the government to lure Chinese tourists. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had agreed to cooperate in tourism, he said.
'That's why we crafted the Cheng Ho sea route tourism package,' he added.
Although there were no traces of Cheng Ho ever visiting Batam, Guntur was adamant that Cheng Ho's ship entered Indonesia through the Malacca Strait and Batam waters.
In Batam, tourists will be taken to Golden City in Bengkong, one of Batam's top tourist spots. The facility already has a replica of Cheng Ho's vessel and a mosque dedicated to the admiral is being built.
During a recent meeting in Jakarta with the nine regions included in the Cheng Ho sea route, the ministry was upbeat the package could increase the number of foreign tourists.
'China is a big tourist market for Indonesia,' Guntur said. (nvn)(++++)
