Pacu Jalur Festival Aimed to Attract Tourists, But Lack of Infrastructure Support
Pekanbaru, RiauBISA.com – One of the purposes of holding the pacu jalur festival is to attract tourists both domestically and internationally. However, it is regrettable that behind the viral nature of the event, it is not supported by adequate infrastructure, such as comfortable hotels or homestays.
“If we only rely on virality, it won’t last long, maybe just once. That’s why there needs to be national support. Then the province and regency can see for themselves how far their support for pacu jalur is,” said Riau Regional House of Representatives member, Adam Syafaat, on Thursday (17/7/2025).
He mentioned that support from the province itself has not been optimal so far, still traditional in style. Regarding this matter, to increase tourist visits both domestically and internationally to this pacu jalur event, he urged for cooperation from all elements in supporting the infrastructure.
“The place needs to be improved, the attributes, and supporting facilities like hotels. When there is an event, it’s difficult to find a place to stay. When there are no events, the hotels are empty. What should we do there? Certainly, there need to be new innovations,” he said.
Furthermore, Adam stated that the limitations of the province and regency are not only about funds but also the lack of promotion for other tourist destinations in the Kuansing regency area.
“For the pacu jalur race, the interesting part is its history beside the boats used in the race which are 20 meters long,” said the Chairman of the Riau Regional House of Representatives Commission II. (fin)