Banyuwangi is a sub-district in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia. Besides that, Banyuwangi is the capital of this district. Its position as the capital of the district makes many government buildings, company branches, and crowd centers stand in this region. This regency which is located at the eastern tip of Java Island has succeeded in bringing in 1.5 million domestic tourists and 30 thousand foreign tourists per year.
Banyuwangi Regency bears several nicknames, including :
The Sunrise of Java, nicknamed The Sunrise of Java, is carried by Banyuwangi Regency because it is the first area exposed to the rising sun on the island of Java.
Bumi Blambangan, the history of the founding of Banyuwangi cannot be separated from the history of the Blambangan kingdom, because Blambangan is the forerunner of Banyuwangi. Blambangan is a kingdom that was even two centuries longer than the Majapahit kingdom. Blambangan was the kingdom that was the most persistent in defending against Mataram and VOC attacks and Blambangan was the kingdom that was most recently conquered by the Dutch colonialists on the island of Java.
The city of Osing, one of the uniqueness of Banyuwangi is its multicultural population, was formed by 3 elements of society, namely Javanese Mataraman, Madurese and Osing. The Osing tribe is a native of Banyuwangi. As descendants of the Blambangan kingdom, the Osing tribe has different customs, culture and language from the Javanese and Madurese people.
Besides being known as a district with a very wide area among regencies on the island of Java, the Banyuwangi area also has various tourist attractions that are very diverse. Here are some tourist attractions in the city of Banyuwangi that you should visit.
Ijen Crater, one of the tourist attractions in the city of Banyuwangi which has its own charm is the Ijen crater which is a climbing area. The uniqueness of this tourist spot lies in the emergence of a blue fire phenomenon that you can see at 01:00 – 02:00 WIB. This tourist spot which is located at the peak of Mount Ijen has a beautiful acidic crater lake with a depth of up to 200 meters with an area of 5466 hectares. With the beauty of this tourist spot, it is not surprising that every tourist visiting Banyuwangi will always stop at Ijen Crater.
Red Island Beach, apart from the natural beauty in the form of the ijen crater, the tourist spot of the city of Banyuwangi which has similarities with Kuta Bali beach is Pulau Merah Beach. This beach, which is known to have quite large waves, is a very suitable spot for surfing. Besides that, in this tourist spot there is also a hill which is located in the middle of the beach and you can visit it at low tide by just walking. The special thing about this beach is the level of security and cleanliness of the beach which is very well maintained.
Green Bay, another Banyuwangi city tourist spot is the Green Bay which is located in Pesanggaran sub-district. Named green bay because this tourist location will look green when seen from a distance.
The city of Banyuwangi used to have two city squares, namely in front of the regency pendapa and the mosque which was called the Tegal Masjid field (now Taman Sritanjung) and in front of the English Complex and the ballroom (now Gedung Juang 45) which was called the Tegal Loji field (Blambangan Park). These two city squares have different functions. The Tegal Masjid field is used for oplet parking which is equipped with two gas stations owned by Captain China and Captain Arab. Meanwhile, the Tegal Loji field was used as a means of entertainment for Dutch citizens.
This city has its bustling center located at 3 points, namely at the Srikandi Cinema, Simpang Lima and Chinatown in Karangrejo. Meanwhile, if the night starts towards the point where the crowds are only in the Srikandi Cinema which shows Javanese films and the Caruk angklung art. In the Buyuhan and Bengkalungan areas which are currently part of the Kertosari Village, there are places to practice kung fu.
The urban area in Banyuwangi sub-district is located in the middle of the sub-district. The further to the west, there is still a lot of agricultural land, for example in the Sumberrejo Village and Kebalenan Village. And in the eastern part of the Banyuwangi District is the coastline which is directly adjacent to the Bali Strait. The center of the crowd stands along urban arterial streets such as S. Parman Street, Adi Sucipto Street, Ahmad Yani Street (government center), Dr. Sutomo, Jalan Sudirman (business center), and Jalan Basuki Rahmat. Apart from that, there is an afternoon snack center which occupies the area of Jalan Sutoyo, Jalan Katamso and part of Jalan Sugiono.
Three city parks stand in Banyuwangi District, Sritanjung Park, Blambangan Park and Tirta Wangi Park. Sritanjung Park is widely used by Banyuwangi residents to spend weekends relaxing on park benches under the many shady trees that are provided. On the south side of the park there is a culinary center that sells a variety of foods.
Blambangan Park is widely used for sports such as jogging or gymnastics. Not infrequently in the afternoon some residents take advantage of the large park field to play football or badminton. Blambangan Park is also used for national holiday ceremonies or Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers. Blambangan Park adjoins Gesibu Blambangan. And Tirta Wangi Park with a horse statue as a welcome icon in the urban area of Banyuwangi is used as a gathering place which is usually crowded in the afternoon.
For beach tourism, there is Boom beach or Pulau Santen beach. Boom Beach is a people’s port area located in the Village of Kampung Mandar. Boom Beach is usually crowded in the morning on holidays where the waves are not too high. Along the shoreline of Boom there are many stalls selling snacks.
Meanwhile, Pulau Santen beach is located south of Boom beach. This beach is relatively quieter than Boom beach. Because the location of the beach on Santen Island is actually separated from the beach, a bridge of shingles about 15 meters long was built for access to the beach. Various historical sites exist in the Banyuwangi District area such as the English complex, the Hoo Tong Bio temple, the Wisma Raga Satria Heroes Cemetery and the Wisma Raga Laut Heroes Cemetery (located in the Boom Beach complex).
Banyuwangi city has four terminals, both main terminals and sub-terminals for public transportation. Some of these terminals are located within the Banyuwangi District area or some are located in the city’s buffer zone. The terminals are the Main Brawijaya Terminal in Kebalenan and the Blambang Terminal