VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Banda Aceh municipality has set a target of attracting at least one million tourists by 2021, according to a local official. "We are upbeat that the target could be achieved given the fact that the number of tourists to Banda Aceh has continued to rise consistently," Banda Aceh Mayor Aminullah Usman said in a statement here Tuesday.

Banda Aceh has intensified tourism promotion both locally and nationally through various media outlets in the country.

Devastated by a deadly tsunami and earthquake 15 years ago, Banda Aceh was formerly home to the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam.

He hoped the tourists would come to the city whose nickname is the "Veranda of Mecca" and enjoy the scenery of the city and the remnants of the sultanate.

The number of tourists visiting Banda Aceh in 2018 reached 393,700 and that increased to 503,992, or 28 percent in 2019.

"In 2017, 288,388 tourists visited Banda Aceh, and the figure rose to more than 500 thousand in 2019," he said.

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is still a magnet and a religious tourism icon of Banda Aceh, in addition to other interesting tourist attractions.

"From cultural preservation, arts and culture, culinary, and of course Aceh's most famous coffee. Banda Aceh has also been nicknamed 'the City of 1,001 coffee shops', a cup of coffee with a million flavors - a million stories," he explained.

Banda Aceh also shares a border with Aceh Besar and Sabang so the area is known for its marine tourism, beaches, and beautiful natural panorama.

"In the past, Banda Aceh used to be synonymous with tsunamis and prolonged conflict, but now it has turned into a beautiful, safe and comfortable city to visit. Come to our city and see for yourselves," Mayor Aminullah said.

President Director of Sindo Media Sururi Al Faruq, who signed an agreement to promote the city of Banda Aceh, concurred that the capital of Aceh Province is very attractive to people of Indonesia and international visitors.

"We are keen to report positive things about Aceh, especially Banda Aceh to be better known. That is one of our functions as a media so that tourists do not only visit Solo, Yogyakarta or Banyuwangi, but also Banda Aceh," he said. (INE/ANTARA)