Asian Games mascot makes an island popular in Indonesia

Bawean deers

Bawean Island is becoming popular among tourists after one of its endemic species, the bawean deer (Axis kuhlii), was made mascot for the 2018 Asian Games. The name of the bawean deer mascot in the Asian Games 2018 is Atung. Since 2009, bawean dears are in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of endangered animals.

Atung- Asian Games 2018 Mascot

The island is situated in the Java Sea about 120 kilo meters north of Gresik, Indonesia.  Other than the island is famous for its beautiful landscapes as well as art and culture. Recently, the people of Teguh hamlet, Mount Teguh village, Sangkapura district, declared the area a cultural village by holding a tourism event.

The event was filled with a number traditional art forms and indigenous food. “We are trying to showcase whatever potential our people possess at the event,” said Faisyal Akli Teguh Hamlet Youth head and co-initiator of the event.

Traditional dance of Bawean Island

A has been conducted by the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry in the area over the past three years, aiming at exploring the tourism potential of the island. “The event was an outcome of the research,” said Faisal. He is hope that such events with the support of the ministry will help the village to become a sustainable community-based tourism village.

Bawean Island

“Mount Teguh was a village that had huge potential. The locals themselves come from various ethnicity, from Madura and Javanese to Bugis,” said Hamim Farhan, A member of the Ministry’s research team.

“The initiative does not mean that the other villages don’t have any potential for tourism. We expect this event would serves as a pilot project that we can implement in other regions,” he added.