Bangkit dari Banjir, Tanah Datar Andalkan Pacu Jawi hingga Pacu Kuda

A jockey spurs two cows in a traditional jawi race held by the nagari community in Tanah Datar Regency, October 25, 2025. ANTARA/Muhammad Zulfikar

TANAH DATAR - The Tanah Datar Regency Government, West Sumatra Province, has prepared a number of tourism agendas to revive and revitalize the community's economy after the flood disaster that hit the area.

"We must rise from this disaster," said Tanah Datar Regent Eka Putra in Tanah Datar, Antara, Sunday, January 25.

As one of the international tourism destinations with the advantages of art and culture, Tanah Datar has prepared various tourism agendas so that the area can recover and rise after two months of being affected by the disaster.

One of the agendas that continues to be held is the pacu jawi, a traditional tradition of the people in the area nicknamed Luhak Nan Tuo. The tradition, which is held every Saturday, features the attraction of jockeys racing cows on a muddy rice field track with agility and compactness.

In addition, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, the Tanah Datar Regency Government also scheduled a horse race which will be held on February 8-9, 2026 at the Dang Tuanku Bukik Gombak Field, Lima Kaum District.

The horse racing agenda is one of the most awaited tourism events for people from various regions. In fact, President Prabowo Subianto when he was still the Minister of Defense had witnessed horse racing in Tanah Datar in April 2023 with Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Afriansyah Noor.

Another agenda that is no less interesting is the bilih fish manjalo in the Singkarak Lake area. This activity showcases the community's skills in catching bilih fish, an endemic species of the lake, which is a tourist attraction as well as a local culture.

"There will be many tourism events prepared by Tanah Datar as one of the flagship tourism destinations in Indonesia and even the world," said Eka.

He is optimistic that the series of tourism agendas will be able to accelerate the movement of the community's economy after two months of being hit by flash floods and landslides.

To encourage post-disaster economic recovery, the local government also ensures that it will not collect tolls from visitors to all tourist destinations, except at Istano Basa Pagaruyung.

"After this disaster, our target is how the circulation of money targets business actors first so that the community's economy can move again," he said.