Borobudur Has Visited 322,980 Tourists During Idul Fitri Holiday

Magelang, ANTARA JATENG - The number of visitors to the Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, during this year`s Idul Fitri Islamic holiday season, reached 322,980 people, an increase from 313,344 recorded in the same period in 2016.

The visitors comprised 316,471 domestic tourists and 6,509 foreigners, Chrisnamurti Adiningrum, general manager of the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park, stated here, Tuesday.

The Idul Fitri season began on June 22 and ended on July 2, 2017, Adiningrum noted.

The Idul Fitri (D-day) fell on Sunday, June 25.

The largest number of visitors was recorded on D+4, with 56,869 tourists; D+3, with 56,137 tourists; and D+2, with 47,471 tourists.

"Thanks to the cooperation of every stakeholder, the number of tourists during the Lebaran (Idul Fitri) holiday season this year has surpassed our target," he remarked.

The management had set a target of attracting 316,792 tourists during this year`s Idul Fitri season.

Meanwhile, on June 28, former US president Barack Obama and his family, upon arrival from a holiday in Bali, had visited the famous ninth-century Borobudur Buddhist Temple.

Obama reportedly lauded the panorama of the Borobudur temple that symbolizes religious harmony and tolerance.

He scaled the top of the temple and also admired the proper maintenance of Borobudur.

It was Obama`s second visit to the tourist attraction. Obama claimed to have visited Borobudur when he was a child. However, it was first time that Obama had visited the largest Buddhist temple in the world in the company of his family.

The next day, Obama visited the ninth-century Prambanan Hindu Temple, which is also located in Central Java.

Obama`s visit is believed to serve as a tourism promotion for the Borobudur Temple, in particular, and Yogyakarta, in general.

The visit also helped to highlight the safe image of Yogyakarta as a leading tourist destination, in particular, and Indonesia, in general.