Padang Panjang developed tourism village potential in five urban villages

Padang Panjang (ANTARA) - The Padang Panjang City Government, W. Sumatra, develops the potential of tourism villages that can be applied in five urban villages because they have forest areas and rivers.

"At this time what has been widely known by the public is Kubu Gadang Tourism Village, we are trying to develop it again in other villages because there is potential," said Padang Panjang Tourism Service Head Hendri Fauzan in Padang Panjang on Wednesday.

He mentioned five villages that have the potential to have tourist villages, namely Koto Katiak, Silaing Atas, Silaing Bawah, Pasar Usang and Sigando.

Koto Katiak Village has the potential to develop agro tourism because it has a forest area. The use of forests for agro-tourism and not damaging the ecosystem has also received permission from the Ministry of Forestry and Environment.

The Silaing Atas Village and the Pasar Usang are traversed by the river so that it has the potential for water tourism. He said residents in urban village, had shown concern for the environment by organizing mutual cooperation to regularly clean the river flow.

Furthermore, Silaing Bawah Village has the tourism potential of natural scenery and traditional culinary as introduced in Kubu Gadang Tourism Village.

While Sigando in recent times has been known to the public as a religious tourist destination because of the existence of an old mosque in Padang Panjang, that is the Asasi Mosque. The location is considered to need to be developed again as a cultural tourist destination.

"We have conducted meetings with residents in the urban village. "Current efforts to ensure whether residents in each urban village are committed to developing their regional potential for tourism," he said.

Development of tourist villages until they are known to the public and routinely visited, he said, can take a long time so that people who are still enthusiastic about innovating are needed, not just waiting for the direction of the regional government.

"At present there is no tourism conscious group. To move the tourist village must be from its citizens to be consistent and creative in managing so that it can develop like the Kubu Gadang. We are still making efforts for this step, "he said.