TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's tourism industry is rebounding from the pandemic slump that lasted for almost three years. A number of sightseeing objects and attractions, both old and new, went viral and became the internet's trending topics.
The following is a list of seven tourist attractions in Indonesia that went viral in 2023.
1. Al Jabbar Mosque
Open since the end of 2022, the mosque designed by Ridwan Kamil has a quite unusual look. Located in the artificial lake Embung Gedebage with an area of 7.2 hectares, the mosque attracts many visitors for religious tourism. But that's not the only reason Al Jabbar Mosque went viral. Internet users were concerned and appalled by the poor behavior of visitors who left trash and garbage. There were even visitors who swam in the decorative pool located in front of the mosque.
2. Abah Jajang's house
In April, a house in the Citambur Waterfall area owned by an elderly man named Abah Jajang went viral because of the beautiful nature surrounding it. Facing high cliffs and a 140-meter-high waterfall, people nicknamed the house the "home of heaven". Although he received an attractive offer to sell the house, Abah Jajang refused. He even lets people visit his home for a fee of just Rp5,000 and allows visitors to camp in the area around his home.
3. Teletubbies Hill, Bromo
Teletubbies Hill in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is known for its picturesque grasslands. Sadly, the hill caught fire after a couple took their pre-wedding photos there using flares, creating sparks that quickly burned the barren grass during a dry season. It took more than a week for hundreds of firefighters to put out the fire. The state loss from the fire was Rp5.4 billion, but the tourism loss reached tens of billions.
