August 23, 2025 | 02:33 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Pacu Jalur Festival in Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing), Riau, attracted many foreign tourists. One of the international visitors was Andrew Timothy Mulder (25) from the Netherlands. He intentionally came to witness the Traditional Pacu Jalur 2025, at the Tepian Narosa, Teluk Kuantan City, from August 20 to 24, 2025.
Andrew expressed his interest in coming because this unique cultural art has gone viral worldwide. After seeing the festival, he admitted to being extremely fascinated. "That's why I wanted to see the event in person. Turns out, it is extraordinarily fascinating," he said, as quoted by Antara on Thursday, 21 August 2025.
Unique History and Tradition
He stated that not all countries have unique, interesting festivals with a long history like those in Kuansing. Especially the Pacu jalur, which has been preserved for hundreds of years by the people of Kuansing.
Pacu jalur (boats) is not just a traditional boat race. The fast-paced rowing competition of the villagers in Kuansing has deep roots in tradition. From the activities of searching, collecting wood, and crafting the tracks to the race, all the very sacred processions are maintained.
Moreover, the festival's excellence attracts tourists, not only because of the art of the race, the number of rowing athletes, and the spirit of togetherness, but also because of the creations.
"The dancers at the end of the track caught the world's attention, mesmerized the audience, created an attraction, went viral, and amazed the audience, amazed to immediately witness the festival on the Kuantan river," he added.
Five-Day People's Party
Rows of boats from various regions lined up along the Kuantan River at Tepian Narosa. Thousands of rowing athletes with high sportsmanship will participate in the five-day people's party competition.
Andrew said it would be even more interesting if it were held for a week. According to him, the positive impact extends beyond economic circulation to include tourists getting to know Kuansing more deeply and broadly. "Therefore, I am interested in making tourists visit Kuansing. Additionally, we are also present in Jalur City to see other tourist attractions," Andrew added.
The history of jalur dates back to the 17th century. Back then, the jalur was the main means of transportation for residents of Rantau Kuantan along the Kuantan River before land transportation was developed. The jalur competition, also known as the Pacu Jalur, began in the early 1900s and has been a regular event in this region ever since.
Editor's Choice: Indonesian Pacu Jalur Festival Seeing Spike in Tourist Visits This Year
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