Parepare

Parepare – From historical roots to modern growth

The Bugis people have historically called the city of Parepare in South Sulawesi a major home. This city, with a population of 158,425, has one of the largest concentrations of this Austronesian ethnic group. One of their sons, B.J. Habibie, went on to become the third president of Indonesia. It was in this 99.33 square kilometer seaside city that Habibie was born. Although he left the city for Bandung at the age of 14 after his father's death, Habibie never forgot his roots. The city didn't forget him either. In 2015, it unveiled a statue commemorating the lifelong romance between Habibie and his wife, Hasri Ainun. The statue remains a popular destination for those interested in tracing Habibie's steps and learning more about his illustrious life.

However, the statue isn't the only thing that Parepare is known for. The city's location provides it with beautiful beaches such as Lumpue, Mattirotasi, and Paputo. The Kelelawar Cave is famous for being home to thousands of bats, accessible after a 3-kilometer climb up a hill. Parepare also boasts a diverse array of local medicinal and traditional plants scattered throughout the 13.5 hectares of its Jompie Botanical Garden, located on a hill that offers scenic views of Parepare's coast. Tonrangeng Riverside combines culinary tourism with water activities at the nearby river, such as jet-skiing and parasailing.

In recent years, the city has experienced positive economic growth. It grew by 4.41 percent, 5.93 percent, and 3.88 percent from 2021 to 2023. Its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices in 2023 was Rp 9.31 trillion, up from Rp 8.70 trillion in 2022. The three biggest industries contributing to its GRDP in 2023 were the wholesale, retail, and repair industry at Rp 1.58 trillion (16.92 percent of all industries in Parepare), the construction industry at Rp 1.43 trillion (15.36 percent), and the property industry at Rp 859.88 billion (9.23 percent).