Published on March 6, 2015
The annual Festival Bumi Rafflesia, otherwise known as Festival of the Land of the Raffesia, is planned for June 2015 this year, and is aimed to boost the promotion of the province of Bengkulu and attract more visitors to this destination, explained Rudi Perdana, Head of the office of Culture and Tourism of Bengkulu Province as reported by kompas.com.
The Rafflesia Arnoldii flower, the icon of the province, has also been adopted as the Festival’s main highlight, since this largest flower in the world is found predominantly in the forests of Bengkulu.
Known as Padma Raksasa (Giant Padma) in Bahasa Indonesia, the Rafflesia Arnoldii has been designated one of Indonesia’s three National Flowers by Presidential Decree No. 4 of 1993 which gave it the title of Puspa Langka or the Rare Flower. In Bengkulu the continued preservation of this rare Rafflesia flower and its careful conservation in its forests is indeed the main attraction of the festival.
First held in 2013, the Festival Is aimed in particular to attract those who enjoy adventures in nature. ” We have a number of exciting ecotourism destinations that include treks to the site of the rare rafflesia flowers in Bengkulu’s rainforest and a visit to the habitat of the Sumatran Elephants, added Rudi.
The festival will be highlighted with a variety of programs and activities that will present the best of Bengkulu. Last year, the festival also featured a mass batik painting event , a triathlon, national offroad competitions, art and cultural performances, song writing competition, a tourism pageant, bazaar, exhibition, and more.
