West Nusa Tenggara to hold Tambora festival 2019 on Sumbawa island

Pesona Tambora Festival (FPT) is to return to West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) in April. The main event of the festival that will take place on April 11 will be held on the Doro Ncanga savannah at the foot of Mount Tambora in Dompu regency, NTB.

View from Post 3 of Mount Tambora via Doro Ncanga track, Sumbawa island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia (Shutterstock/Harry Hermanan)

“[Festival] activities, slated to start on April 1 and culminate on April 11, will feature 27 tourism attractions to be held in five regencies and cities on Sumbawa island,” said the head of the NTB Tourism Agency Lalu Mohammad Faozal to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, after an event preparation meeting in Mataram.

The festival is listed in the Tourism NTB 2019 calendar of events, as well as the agenda of 100 Wonderful Indonesia 2019. This year’s festival will be its fifth installment after its inauguration in 2015 that commemorated 200 years since a Mount Tambora eruption that took place in April 1815
“Tambora festival was officiated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for the first time in 2015 with the tagline ‘Tambora greets the world’, but 'The world greets Tambora' will be our tagline this year,” said Faozal.
He went on to say that FPT 2019 will be launched in Jakarta at the end of March.

Among the activities listed on FPT's agenda is Semalam Dalam Loka, which will be held in Sumbawa regency on April 2 and 3. This is a cultural event held to promote cultural tourism, particularly at the site of a palace that belongs to the former sultan of Sumbawa.
There will also be Mantar festival in West Sumbawa regency on April 5 and 6. Mantar is a place often dubbed the village above the clouds, perched at a height of 690 meters above sea level.
Lawata festival will follow on April 6 to 8, featuring the city of Bima’s Lawata beach where the fishermen will decorate their boats for a contest.
Meanwhile, on April 7 to 11, those who love trekking can join the Teka Tambora, a trekking event through Kawinda toi track, starting from the city of Bima. This event includes such activities as Educamp (educational camp) on mountaineering and tourism, a creative economy exhibition and Tambora coffee promotion.

“The main event will take place at the top of the [Teka Tambora] venue,” said Faozal.
Tambora I Geopark festival is also scheduled for April 8 to 11 in Bima and Dompu regencies.
“There are 27 activities spread in five regencies and cities all over Sumbawa. We hope this could boost tourism promotion and creative economy growth on Sumbawa island,” said Faozal.
Head of NTB Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPD) Anita Ahmad said she is aware that the 2018 Lombok quake still affected tourism in NTB. However, the more events held in the area, the more they can show the world that the province is ready to welcome travelers again.
“We promote the potential that we have. Apart from Lombok, NTB also has the enchanting Sumbawa,” said Anita to the Post, adding that NTB residents must have the strong determination to recover with full energy. (JakartaPost)