C Sulawesi to organize Tour de Central Celebes from oct 14 to 18

Palu, C Sulawesi,  (Antaranwws Sulteng) - The Central Sulawesi provincial administration will organize the second Tour de Central Celebes (TdCC) from Oct 14 to 18, 2018.

TdCC would cover a total distance of 740 kilometers and comprise five stages, Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola was quoted as saying by Haris Karimin, spokesman of the provincial administration, here, on Tuesday.

Djanggola was in Jakarta on Monday to forge cooperation with MarkPlus promotion institute, Karimin stated.

The governor met with MarkPlus Chairman Hermawan Kartajaya and asked the firm to help promote TdCC 2018.

"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), TdCC has been recognized by UCI. The UCI recognition does not come easily, because it has to prove that last year`s TdCC was a success. And Alhamdulillah, we have managed to achieve it," he remarked.

TdCC is a sport tourism event aimed at promoting tourist destinations existing in Central Sulawesi.

The cycling race will tour seven districts and cities, with the start from Luwuk in Banggai District, and finish line in Palu, the province`s capital.

"Using the sport tourism strategy, we hope to open the eyes of the world community that Indonesia has a very pretty tourist destination that should be visited, namely Central Sulawesi," the governor was quoted as saying by his spokesman.

The event is also expected to promote Poso, previously conflict-ridden city, as a peaceful, safe, and beautiful city now.

At least 19 foreign cycling teams from 16 countries and five national teams are expected to participate in the event, according to I Nyoman Sariadijaya, head of the Central Sulawesi tourism office.

Tourism Minister Aruef Yahya on Tuesday evening (July 17) officially launched the 2018 Central Celebes Calendar of Events comprising TdCC and Lipuku Festival to be held in Tojo Unauna in Aug 2018, and Palu Nomoni Festival to be organized in September 2018.

Thanks to TdCC, Central Sulawesi has received some 2 thousand foreign tourists and 10 thousand domestic tourists.

This year, Central Sulawesi has set a target of doubling the number of foreign tourists visiting the province.