Situbondo Regent Initiates Anyer-Panarukan 3R Corridor, Village Minister Backs Annual Festival

Situbondo Regent Yusuf Rio Wahyu Prayogo has launched the Anyer-Panarukan 3R initiative: Road, Route, Roots, a development framework that turns the colonial-era route from Banten to East Java into a corridor for tourism, culture, and economic empowerment. The idea was introduced at a kick-off event in South Jakarta on Sunday (11/10), marking an initial step to make historical heritage a catalyst for sustainable development.

Rio said the route stretching from the western coast to the eastern tip of Java Island holds a wealth of history, culture, and economic resources that go beyond the administrative borders of Situbondo Regency and Serang Regency. He therefore stressed the need for cross-regional collaboration so that the benefits are not limited to preserving buildings, but also create business opportunities, expand markets for local products, and raise people's incomes.

"The hope is that Anyer-Panarukan is not just a historical artifact, but something we can capitalize on as a kind of economic growth engine. This is not only in the interest of Serang Regency and Situbondo Regency. This is in Indonesia's interest," Rio said.

The 3R concept is laid out in three interconnected pillars. Road refers to the physical route of historical value, Route emphasizes the development of travel corridors and tourist destinations, while Roots highlights the historical, cultural, and community identity along the route. For Situbondo, this approach opens the way to connect historical wealth with the development of destinations and local economic activities, including empowering local businesses to take part in the tourism economic chain.

However, Rio underlined that the potential cannot be developed by the two initiating regency governments alone. Support from the central government, other regions, the banking sector, media, businesses, and the public is deemed essential for Anyer-Panarukan to grow as a connected economic corridor.

Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto welcomed the initiative and encouraged the Anyer-Panarukan Festival to become an annual agenda that drives village economies while introducing tourism potential along the route. According to him, the thousands of villages along the route hold diverse potential, from agriculture, fisheries, coastal villages, and tourism to flagship products with a chance of reaching international markets.

"On Anyer-Panarukan, once again we convey that thousands of villages are passed through, many historic cities are passed through. So let us not let these remarkable things be missed just because only two regencies are championing them," Yandri said.

Yandri hopes regency, city, and village governments along the route will also be involved. The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, he said, is ready to support through thematic village, fishing village, tourism village, and export village programs, including expanding networks with the private sector, state-owned enterprises, and foreign partners. He also stressed that developing economic potential must go hand in hand with efforts to preserve historical memory, given that the Anyer-Panarukan route has a dark record related to forced labor during the colonial era.

Serang Regent Ratu Rachmatuzakiyah added her hope that Anyer-Panarukan be developed as an integrated destination linking historical, nature, educational, and religious tourism. According to her, Anyer already has a range of tourism options with the potential to be developed in a single travel series.

"We want Anyer-Panarukan in the future to become an integrated whole, both in terms of tourism destinations, historical destinations, and nature destinations," Ratu said.

She stressed the involvement of local communities as an important part so that economic benefits can be felt directly, both through the creation of livelihoods and higher incomes. Collaboration with the Banten Provincial Government and Situbondo Regency is deemed necessary to realize the integration of tourism, religious, and historical destinations.

Developing the Anyer-Panarukan route ultimately requires program continuity and cross-regional cooperation. By connecting historical heritage, tourist destinations, village potential, and community flagship products, the 3R movement is expected to be one way to optimize economic potential along the route. For Situbondo, this initiative is an opportunity to position history not only as a record of the past, but also as part of a development strategy that opens economic opportunities for the people.