“The Istura event is held to remind us that Bogor cannot be separated from the history of the Republic of Indonesia. The number of Istura participants continues to grow every year. Many foreigners are keen to participate in the event,” said Bogor Mayor Bima Arya after dispatching the first batch of this year’s Istura participants on Monday.

The palace is opening its gates for five days from July 24 to July 28. Around 24,000 people have registered to participate in the event, exceeding the target of 20,000 visitors. More people are likely to join. Twenty-five foreigners from Australia, Japan, Serbia, the US and Tunisia are on the list of participants.

Bima said certain restrictions would apply because Bogor Palace was an official residence of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. However, he said, all residents fully understood the rules for the visit.

Bogor Culture and Tourism Agency head Shahlan Rasyidi said Istura was one of numerous events to celebrate the 535th anniversary of Bogor. It was the 15th time for the Bogor administration to hold the Istura event since 2010.    

Shahlan said the administration, in holding Istura, aimed to introduce Bogor Palace to all people, because it was a cultural heritage site that needed to be preserved. (ecn/ebf)

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