PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government (Pemkot) continues to demonstrate its commitment to preserving culture and integrating it with the development of the tourism sector.

The Bandung City Government has taken various strategic steps to preserve culture, starting from fostering traditional arts, preserving cultural heritage, to awards for artists.

The city of Bandung has also built cultural infrastructure such as the Bandung City Museum, Bandung Creative Hub, and Padepokan Seni Mayang Sunda, which are centers of arts and cultural activities.

This was conveyed by Acting Mayor of Bandung A. Koswara in an interview with the 2024 Indonesian Cultural Award (AKI) Assessment Team as part of the verification process for prospective recipients of the Regional Government category award at Bandung City Hall, Monday (11/25/2024).

"Culture is the main potential of Bandung City as a leading tourist destination. The uniqueness of this local culture is an attraction that we continue to develop," he said.

The Bandung City Government has established close synergy with the arts community, stakeholders, and other local governments to support the advancement of culture. Through the Sawala Pemajuan Budaya and various coordination forums, cultural policies are formulated in an integrated manner by directly involving cultural actors.

Some of the major collaborations that have been successfully held in Bandung include the Asia Africa Festival (AAF), Bandung Great Sale, and Braga Beken. These activities not only promote local arts and culture but also encourage the tourism sector and the creative economy.

To ensure the sustainability of cultural advancement, the Bandung City Government has established various regulations, such as Regional Regulation No. 5 of 2012 concerning the Preservation of Traditional Arts and Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2023 concerning Cultural Advancement. In addition, certification of cultural personnel is carried out routinely to produce competent experts.

The Bandung City Government has also begun to utilize technology for cultural preservation, one of which is by exploring collaboration with game developers to introduce Bandung's art and history to the younger generation.

For Koswara, culture is the main foundation of tourism in this city. Traditional arts, Sundanese language, and other cultural heritage are characteristics that continue to be strengthened.

"We want Bandung culture to continue to live, adapt to the times, and become an attraction for tourists. With cross-sector collaboration, we are sure that Bandung culture can be better known, both nationally and internationally," he said.

With these strategic steps, the city of Bandung hopes to become an example in preserving culture while maximizing its potential to develop tourism.