undreds of buffaloes and people could be seen flocking the farming area of Tapir village in West Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Sunday as part of the Festival Pesona Mantar (Mantar Charms Festival).
The festival serves as the opening of a bigger event, the Festival Pesona Tambora, slated for April 9-11.
"All regencies and cities in Sumbawa Island will participate in the Festival Pesona Tambora, including the city of Bima and the regencies of Sumbawa, West Sumbawa and Bima. The festival's series of events begin in West Sumbawa through the barapan kebo [buffalo race]," said NTB Tourism Agency head Lalu Muhammad Faozal, who was also the first person to ride a buffalo during the race.
(Read also: Exploring ‘village above the clouds’ of Mantar, West Sumbawa)
Up to 320 buffaloes from West Sumbawa and Sumbawa reportedly participated in the event.
In addition to the race, the Mantar festival was also enlivened with a paragliding attraction, West Sumbawa cultural performances, barapan ayam (chicken racing) and an exhibition of cuisine from Palopo.
For this year, NTB has set a target of attracting at least 1 million foreign tourists and 2 million domestic visitors. (vod/kes)
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