TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Middle Eastern tourists flock to Ciater hot springs
Change Size
Middle Eastern tourists favor the natural hot springs at Ciater in Subang, West Java, because of the beautiful scenery, mountainous landscape and cool weather. (shutterstock.com/Alex Brylov/File)
T
he number of Middle Eastern tourists visiting the Ciater hot springs in Subang, West Java, has surpassed those from Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.
Tempo.co reported that Ciater's beautiful scenery, mountainous landscape and cold weather were the main attractions for Middle Eastern visitors, as they were the opposite of their region's conditions.
PT Sari Ater public relations manager Yuki Azuania said that tourists from Middle Eastern countries started to arrive in Ciater in the past few years, adding that the trend began with the improvement of the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipala) highway and the increased number of flights connecting the Middle East with Indonesia.
"If Kertajati Airport in Majalengka regency and the Patimban seaport are completed," Yuki said, the number of Middle Eastern tourists will increase as well.
(Read also: Tourism Ministry targets 400,000 Muslim tourists from the Middle East)
A visitor from the Middle East, Sadeq, said that he had visited the hot springs twice and already planned to return during an upcoming holiday. "We also tell our family about [this destination], so they can experience the heavenly Ciater."
Yuki said that Middle Eastern tourists usually visited the area during the haj season as it is their longest holiday. While domestic tourists tend to flock to the area during the year-end holidays.
However, despite the increased number of Middle Eastern tourists, most of the foreign visitors to Ciater were still reportedly from Europe, especially from Germany and the Netherlands. (jes/kes)
