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fter successfully launching the Serang and Karangbanjar tourism villages recently, Purbalingga regency in Central Java is currently developing six other villages that have been declared as tourism villages and are ready to receive visitors.

Purbalingga Tourism Office head Subeno said the tourism villages of Serang, Karangbanjar, Pekeringan, Panusupan, Kedung Benda, Limbasari, Tanalun and Siwarak, which are inhabited by 1.2 million people in total, are currently the mainstay of tourism in the regency.

'€œWe expect the eight tourism villages could make Purbalingga well-established and successful as a tourist destination. Earlier, we could offer the Owabong and Purbasari water-based tourist attractions,'€ said Subeno.

He said the new tourism villages have been open for the past year and were equipped with everything needed for tourists.

Separately, Panusupan village head Imam Yulianto said his village offered visitors cool and beautiful natural mountain excursions, such as to the Curug Pesantren waterfall with its crystal-clear water.

He added that around 30 comfortable homestays were ready to accommodate 100 people for reasonable rates that included the delicious local cuisine.

The village, Imam said, also served night entertainment, in the form of the Lengger and Rodat dance performances.

Lengger is a traditional Javanese dance performed by female dancers and accompanied by Javanese songs combined with bamboo music, while Rodat is an ancient martial arts accompanied by traditional percussion instruments.

'€œBesides domestic tourists, we have also invited foreign visitors to Panusupan to enjoy the natural wealth and local culture. We will make sure they would not be disappointed,'€ said Imam on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the village chief of Serang, Karangreja district, Sugito, said his village offers natural tourism at an elevation of 1,000 meters above sea level below Mount Slamet.

'€œSerang village is home to 45 hectares of strawberries cultivated by around 500 farmers,'€ said Sugito.

He added that the strawberry fields mostly cater to visitors who are free to pick and eat as many strawberries as they wish for just Rp 15,000 (US$1.10).

'€œThe strawberry farms are mostly sought after by visitors, as they can pick and eat the strawberries as much as they like,'€ said Sugito, adding tourism in the village has progressed well in the last five years.

He said farmers could sell more than five tons of strawberry daily to visitors during holidays.

'€œWe also sell strawberries at Rp 35,000 per kilogram for visitors to take home,'€ said Sugito.

He added his village is equipped with 40 homestays to accommodate visitors and also provides various traditional dances at night.