JAKARTA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia launched the 2017 Borobudur International Festival (BIF), which is aimed at promoting friendship through tourism and cultural collaboration between countries taking part in the event.
Speaking in his remarks to open the event, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya Arief expected 2017 BIF would further promote Borobudur as a top tourist destination.
"This event would strengthen brand of Borobudur Temple, the Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces' iconic destination, on the international stage," the minister said on Monday night.
The minister expected the event to help meet the foreign visitor arrival target of 15 million this year.
The fourth BIF would be held in the premises of Borobudur Temple in Central Java province's regency of Magelang with peak sessions to take place on July 28-30.
Cultural delegations from China, Japan, India and the Netherlands were expected to collaborate in performances during the event, together with local performers.
Borobudur Temple, the world's largest Buddhist temple with a 25-hectare compound, was built in 8th to 9th centuries during the reign of Indonesia's ancient Syailendra dynasty.
It is one of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage.
