Indonesia Tourism

Rp 800m earmarked for tourism promotion

2010-03-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

DENPASAR: The city administration has allocated Rp 800 million (US$86,596) for tourism-related promotion activities in its 2010 budget.

Denpasar tourism agency head Putu Budiasa said Saturday the fund would be used to produce printed materials, to participate in domestic tourism exhibits and to finance several well-known cultural festivals.

No budget was set aside for overseas promotions and exhibitions.

"For those activities abroad we could always ask the assistance of the provincial team to bring our promotional products there," Budiasa said. - JP

Source: thejakartapost.com | 03/08/2010

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A trail of heritage conservation in progress

2010-03-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Talks are intensified among leaders at the railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI), with restoration projects for old locomotives and other aspects such as stations, railway tracks and warehouses, are under way.

The project results are open for the public to see. For example, the Tanjung Priok station in North Jakarta and old locomotives that are at the Ambarawa train museum in Ambarawa, Central Java.

One of the old locomotives that undergoes conservation, TD-100, or Tedi, is being displayed at PT KAI’s main office in Bandung. Tedi was made in 1926 by Werkspoor, a Dutch train factory. It could run 15 kilometers per hour between Rengasdengklok, Karawang, Cikampek and Cilamaya, transporting crops and merchandise until 1970.

The main office complex itself are conserved old buildings. Built in 1864, the complex has two fireproof buildings. Djoko Margono, an official at PT KAI, said that his team also found an underground tunnel, but they had not entered it for it might contain lethal gases.

Another conservation work in progress is Dayang Sumbi house, a property that serves as a guesthouse for clients. The house, built in 1927 by Dutch officer Ernst Gerard Oscar Kelling, was modified with more rooms. But with the spirit of conservation blooming in the company, the house is now undergoing restoration.

Saptawan Yunandri, architect in charge of the restoration project, said that his team had torn down new additions such as bathrooms, bedrooms and terraces.

“The conservation and development plan of the house is to transform it into the company’s gallery and showroom. The house can also be rented for meetings since it has a café and several meeting rooms,” he said.

Another asset waiting for restoration is a warehouse complex in Cikudapateuh. Sprawling on the 45-hectare land are 24 railway warehouses, an abandoned railway track and an old locomotive situated in the middle of the tracks.

Ella Ubaidi, executive vice president for conservation and heritage assets at PT KAI, said that her company would hold a tender for the master plan of the complex.

“Perhaps we can turn this area into a railway museum, with old locomotives taking visitors from one place to another within the complex.

She said that her company had planned to make 2011 the year of train tourism. One of the plans made for that particular year includes an added panoramic car to the Priangan line.

“We will also ask each train operation area to propose a conservation of one old station. We have nine operation areas, so there will be nine stations getting revamped,” she said.

Source: Tifa Asrianti | The Jakarta Post | Sun, 03/07/2010

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International hotel operators boost Medan’s stature

2010-03-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

As more international hotel chains have opened in Medan over the past two years, North Sumatra should benefit from its wider international exposure to potential foreign tourists and investors through world-wide promotion.

But as more international hotel operators entered the top-end market in the N. Sumatra provincial capital while the global economy was weakening since late 2008, a price war seemed inevitable within the 5-star property range.

The 234-room Grand Angkasa virtually dominated the top-end hotel market until 2007. But three more 5-star properties — The Ar-yaduta, Grand Swiss-Belhotel and JW Marriott — came on stream in the country’s third largest city in 2008, followed by the Grand Aston Cityhall in January.

“Even the 287-room Marriott, which opened in late 2008 with a big bang and tried to stand out of its class eventually joined the price war that was triggered by the sudden supply of so many rooms,” Grand Swiss-Belhotel’s public relations manager Lisa Ngadio told The Jakarta Post in Medan.

However, Djodi Trisusanto, vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels property consulting company in Jakarta, is still upbeat about the market for upscale hotels in Medan.

Trisusanto noted Medan is the main gateway to Sumatra and close to Malaysia and Singapore. Commodity prices are recovering along with stronger economic growth and a new modern international airport is under construction near the city.

These factors will make Medan, a favorite destination for long-haul tourists and a popular venue for domestic business meetings, exhibitions, conventions and incentive tours, he said.

“We should also remember that Medan is the fifth largest destination for foreign tourists with 150,000 arrivals last year or up 14 percent from 2008, despite the sluggish international economy,” Trisusanto added.

He also pointed to another demand-generator for hotels in Medan — Lake Toba, the world’s largest volcanic lake — if adequately promoted, could woo more foreign tourists.

Colliers International property analyst Ferry Salanto estimated there were about 3,635 hotel rooms in the 3 to 5-star bracket in Medan as of early this year, of which the top quality category accounted for 25 percent.

“There will still be an additional supply of rooms in the non-star rated and three-star category within the next three years. But I don’t think there would be any more new properties in the 4 and 5-star category coming on stream until 2012,” Salanto observed.

Ricky Theodores, the general manager of the 205-room Grand Aston Cityhall, said the top-end hotel market still depends largely on domestic business travelers.

“More than 60 percent of our guests are domestic business travelers. Only about 25 percent consist of foreign travelers [leisure and business],” Theodores told the Post in Medan.

Lisa Ngadio concurred that the main drivers of the 4 and 5-star hotel market are domestic and foreign business travelers with the latter group coming mainly from Singapore and Malaysia.

“We cannot expect a significant number of upscale foreign tourists within the near future if local operators cannot come up with more attractive package programs. Moreover, most infrastructure that caters to foreign travelers is still inadequate,” Lisa added.

Theodores was nevertheless quite bullish about the prospects for the hotel market in view of the strong economic recovery expected this year and the role of Medan as the growth hub for North Sumatra and the Aceh economy.

He attributed his bullish sentiment to the business-friendly attitude of the Medan administration which has increasingly been aware of the important role of the travel industry as a major source of income.
“I expect an average occupancy rate performance of 70 percent this year, up significantly from 50-60 percent last year because economic growth is synonymous with business growth,” Theodores added.
JW Marriot’s public relations manager Handajani Susilaning Rahayu shared Theodores’ optimism, saying the market would continue to grow as the local economy continued to expand.

Moreover, as more international hotel operators enter Medan, they will contribute to promoting the travel industry in the city and N. Sumatra in general through their world-wide networks, she told the Post in Medan.

“With more international hotels entering the market, they will help bolster the potential of Medan through additional promotion and publicity via their global networks,” Handajani added.

Theodores added that if each of the international operators will come up with innovative ideas to help win a greater market share then this will further contribute to Medan’s development.

Source: Vincent Lingga, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Fri, 03/05/2010

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Strict rules on tour services sought

2010-03-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

The Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel (Asita)'s Bali branch has strongly urged Bali administration to regulate unlicensed travel agencies on the island.

Aloysius Purwa, Asita's chairperson, said that the operation of illegal travel agencies has ruined the image of Bali as a tourist island.

"Their operations have disturbed the island's tourism industry. Many of them are operating online. But, they have no license and have no proper programs. Their main concern is to get as many tourists as possible without thinking of guest safety," Purwa said.

Based on data from the Bali Tourism Office, there are 635 registered travel agencies operating on the island. "However, there are many more agencies operating without required licenses," Purwa pointed out.

Purwa estimated that the local administration has yet to take stern action against illegal travel agencies. "Anybody can run a tourism business as long as they obtain the necessary permits and licenses," Purwa maintained.

The provincial administration has proposed a bylaw on the operation of tour and travel agencies in Bali to the legislative council.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika confirmed that the proposed bylaw was aimed at strictly regulating the operations of illegal tourist-related industries.

Any tour and travel agencies are required to submit their operation reports every six months to the Tourism Office.

"Many of them violated the regulation. The existence of the planned bylaw was urgently needed to also regulate illegal workers in the tourism industry," the governor added.

Pastika went further, saying that many illegal tourist-related businesses employed foreign workers without the necessary working permits and documents.

"Any employers must report their workers to the related agencies," Pastika added.

The proposed bylaw will consist of 21 articles and 14 sub-articles that refer to the existing 2009 Tourism Law and the 2007 Government Decree concerning the job division between the central, provincial and regional governments on tourism issues.

The governor revealed that many illegal tour and travel agencies have forced their clients to participate in special tours and have forced them to buy souvenirs and gifts in specific shops, boutiques or markets for the sake of commission fees.

Deputy Chairman of Bali Legislative Council I Gusti Bagus Alit Putra said that discussion on the proposed law is still underway.

"We expect to finish it by April," said Alit Putra.

The bylaw, when finished, would regulate any illegal tourist activities.

"Controls from the authority over illegal tour and travel agencies and other business activities in an effort to preserve Balinese culture and ethics," Alit Putra said.

Purwa commented that the bylaw is a start, but the authority should enforce it properly.

"Law enforcement must be enacted by the authority to prevent people from violating the bylaw," he said.

Source: Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Fri, 03/05/2010

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A Landscape of Desolation

2010-03-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

A narrow peninsula on the southeastern tip of South Sulawesi, Tanjung Bira is known for its white sandy beaches and longstanding tradition of boatbuilding, revered by seafarers all across Indonesia, perhaps even the world. Chriswan Sungkono takes a look at what it has to offer.

“Where’re you headed?” the plump driver at the terminal asked as I got into the front seat of the van.

“Does this go to Bira?” I asked back.

“Fifteen thousand,” he quoted me the fare. “You have to wait till it’s full, though. Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”

As the van rolled along the narrow asphalt road, with the cheery view of the coastline stretched out along the right, the driver struck up a conversation.

“Got any friends or relatives in Bira?” he asked, perhaps curious why someone would want to go all the way out there.

I told him I was sightseeing.

“Bira’s the end of the line for the public transportation here, though I don’t usually drive that far. Not many drivers are willing to, you know,” he said matter-of-factly, adding, “People seldom go that way.”

The final 15 minutes of that 90-minute drive was proof of that, for I was the only passenger left. The back of the van was empty.

The van stopped at a dead end facing a well-paved rock face. “This is it,” the driver said, “Nothing much to do, is there?”

I shrugged, smiled and paid the fare. He turned his van around, honked three times (probably looking for a fare back to town), paused for a minute, and then sped off, vanishing at the main intersection. His would be the last car I would see until the following day.

The wind – or was it a gale? – blew straight into my face, twisting my hair up into a tangle the moment I alighted from the van. I made my way to an empty wooden bench at the edge of the rock face. There was the gorgeous beach below – the sand blindingly white beneath the afternoon sun. I had to squint to look at the sea, so brilliant was the radiance. It was an all-round assault on the senses, the intense brightness matched by the relentless swooshing of the wind in my ears.

Though the area was in no shortage of houses and semi-permanent shacks, there was no one out but me. The road was empty; the shacks were shuttered. I looked all around me for any sign of life, but in this buffeting breeze and scorching sunshine, not a soul was out.

But there were goats. A herd of them – lanky, black, clumsy beasts – bleating ceaselessly as they pranced around the area on an afternoon stroll, seemingly undeterred by the wind, in search of grass or anything else to complement their perhaps-too-scanty lunch.

It then dawned on me that my breakfast of coto makassar (Makassar-style chicken noodle soup) in central Bulukumba was more than four hours ago. The sight of those foraging goats had somehow served to make me hungry. I put off my plan to get a room, and looked instead for a place for lunch.

But my luck was no better than that of the goats. Close to the bench where I had sat earlier stood a large hotel in a sad state of disrepair, like most of the others here. Its wooden gate was ajar. I entered the open-air lobby, calling out and knocking on the doors several times. No one answered. A whiteboard on the wall listed in faded ink the names of guests and their dates of stay; the most recent one was three months ago. I stopped calling and left.

Three eateries later (either closed or else had no food to serve), my spirits plummeted. My hunger, however, spiked. I decided against trying any more restaurants along this ghost strip, turning my attention instead to the smaller shops in the hope of something to chow down, and finally settled for a cup of instant noodle bought from an elderly woman in charge of one such shop.

The path to the beach was dotted with simple signboards advertising accommodation. Some that I checked – either accompanied by the caretakers or alone (yes, alone!) – could pass for, or at least feign to be, hotels. Yet at all these lodgings I found the occupancy rate was zero: I was the sole tourist around, and I was yet to get a room.

It was depressing that such a beach with this degree of development had to witness its own undoing, as attested to by the rundown buildings and derelict facilities. Yet the road was relatively new, blacktopped and pothole-free. And the fact that its windswept beach was alluring, its sand fine as powder, and its natural environment – a dramatic mix of vertiginous rock outcrops, several kilometers of rugged coastline, plus an underwater world reputedly teeming with manta rays, sharks and turtles – still wholly natural, should have seen Bira hurtling along an entirely different course.

No tourists? Something must be amiss.

Sure enough, Bira had seen much better days. I later learned that during its heyday in the 1990s, tourists (mostly foreign) poured in by the droves, leading to a boom in the hospitality industry and introducing dive shops. Now, though, only one hotel offers diving trips – at a ridiculously inflated price, too. Even then, the local dive guide who I talked to didn’t seem all that inclined to take me on such a trip. (Not that I was willing to pay the price.)

It was time for me to find a room. An acquaintance of mine, a local government official in Bulukumba, the nearest proper town from Bira, said a night’s lodging at the government-run Hotel Pemda cost only Rp 50,000.

If anything, spending your time in a forlorn, once-prosperous tourist area such as Bira gives you a lesson in patience. (In my case, though, it wasn’t a lesson so much as a torment.) It was half an hour after walking into this dilapidated complex of peeling walls and broken windows that I finally met the caretaker. He’d been at home, he said, adding that nobody from the Bulukumba main office had “informed me a guest would be coming”. So much for preparedness.

In the end I turned down that offer for cheap accommodation, not least because of the toilet. (Make of that what you will.) I thanked the caretaker and headed out.

I finally settled for a room on a rickety stilt shack for triple the price (Rp 150,000) with the friendly “manager” of the neighboring Bira View Inn. (I was, as you may have guessed, his only guest.) It had two big beds, an air-conditioner and a decent bathroom. And above all, it sat on the beachfront; the view of the sea from the elevated room was worth the price.

Bira has two stretches of beach, which the locals refer to as Pantai Timur (East Beach) and Pantai Barat (West Beach). My shack was on the latter, which at this time of year was subject to the ceaseless assault from the westerly wind.

A 10-minute walk past roadside dwellings finally yielded sightings of more than three people at the same time (often a bunch of playful kids), before I reached a pier. Here, the air was still. Notwithstanding the occasional murmur of the ships moored around the pier, the East Beach was as eerily silent as the West Beach was deafeningly chaotic. (If I’d come here at another time of year, the situation would have been reversed.)

Although it too had some tourist facilities, the East Beach was less developed than the West Beach. But here I met some European tourists basking in the receding glare of the sky. Not far from their sun loungers, a fenceless village graveyard was sprawled out over the denser palm tree-covered soil. The tall cliff behind cast a long, arching shadow on the beach.

I moseyed back to the West Beach to watch the sunset. Of the few benches erected along the edge of the crag only two were occupied by couples – one middle-aged, the other far younger – relishing the orange-hued sky. I climbed down the staircase and had the entire beach to myself.

Part of me was actually thrilled that Bira was quiet, abandoned, forgotten. Perhaps I was enchanted by the sense of solitude the place exuded. Or perhaps it was the selfish part of me coming through. But I wasn’t sure the local people felt as I did, having Bira, which surely could be a top tourism draw, ending up the other way.

Bira’s circumstances have made it easy for people point the finger. And they do. The government blames the locals for chasing off the visitors by setting up the beachside shacks to sell them stuff – it uglified the area, the officials say.

On the other hand, locals point at the government for not aiding the area’s development, by making it easier to start up businesses, for instance. Or – and this was asserted by some people I met there – by loosening regulations and restrictions that undermined efforts to attract foreign tourists.

But hope is not altogether lost for Bira. First of all, its gorgeous landscape is so precious an asset that the people can, with considerable energy, turn the current desolation into magnificence. Even if we omitted its own beauty completely, Tanjung Bira can also serve as a hub, a transit point, for divers on their way to the Takabonerate Marine National Park, home to one of the world’s largest atolls and among the most exotic yet unexploited diving destinations in Indonesia. In short, the region holds promising potential for tourism in the long run, if managed prudently.

The way I experienced it, Tanjung Bira was a world of extreme contrasts. At first it was my ears that noticed it when I sallied from the West Beach to the East Beach and back. And nightfall brought with it another example. The sand that was blinding at daytime was now dark and opaque, as if these once-bright specks had now been flung into the sky, becoming the stars that shone with a fierce brilliance.

One thing about contrasts is that they often leave you surprised at things that in normal situations would be ordinary. Perhaps the best illustration of this was a nighttime encounter in the beachfront shack.

I was deeply engrossed in work in front of my laptop screen, glowing in a room whose two light bulbs I had turned on, while outside it was pitch black. The wind and the waves were my ears’ only companions. But about midnight, I heard a voice.

“Assalamualaikum,” the raspy male voice was but a whisper in nature’s amplified hush. I turned to the right, trying to locate the speaker, but adjusting to the darkness outside from the luminous indoors took a while. At the same time I uttered a reply, but it wasn’t clear since my entire jaw was paralyzed at the sight of a man’s head seemingly floating above the stairs leading up to the room’s entrance.

An apparition?! My thoughts raced as soon as my heart started beating again.

Seconds later, I began to make out the figure of the man standing in front of me. “Is this Bella’s room?” he asked. I asked who he was, who this Bella was, and told him I was alone in the room. He told me he was “security”, but everything after was snatched away in the wind. He climbed down the stairs and was gone, leaving me dumbfounded. Why on Earth did he have to wear a burgundy cap and a black outfit from neck to toe?

I awoke abruptly early the next morning to what I thought was an earthquake. The whole shack was quivering. After I gathered my thoughts, I noticed it was just the wind blowing even stronger than last night. I opened the door only to be greeted – refreshed – by a spray of seawater flung my way by the wind. It was high tide, and my “private” beach had become almost wholly swallowed out of sight.

Until it returned, until I could join the little children playing and building sandcastles on its silky surface, I would stay here. Drenched and shivering, I would welcome the invading waves.

Source: thejakartapost.com | Thu, 03/04/2010

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When silence takes over

2010-03-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

Mobs of children seeking cement bags, wood scraps, bamboo strips and rupiah donations marks the build up to Bali’s Day of Silence.

Ranging in age, the kids travel their neighborhoods, accounting book in hand, recording every donations and hunting out the materials and money needed to build the monsters called ogoh ogoh that will chase evil out of their villages ahead of the Hindu year’s end on March 16, known as Nyepi.
Saka, the Hindu New Year, begins on March 17, 1932, which is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar.

This is the one day of the year when Bali shuts down. Its airports and harbors close, businesses large and small turn off their lights and send their staff home, hospitals suspend operations except for emergencies and families huddle together as the long dark night of Nyepi progresses to the dawn of a new year, also a rebirth, according to Professor Ngurah Nala of Indonesia’s University of Hinduism in Bali.

“Nyepi is the end of the year and after that we are re-born into the New Year. Before we are born, we are in our mother’s womb; there is no light, no sound. That is Nyepi,” says Nala of the 24-hour period when no fires are lit, many people fast and silence is absolute.

This silence, the period of being in the “darkened womb”, is a time of reflection on the past year, explains Nala.

“In this silence we study ourselves, we reflect and think how we can be become better people in the year to come,” says Nala.

“As Hindus, we hope this introspection can bring greater harmony to society.”
For 35-year-old mother and insurance agent, Made Cahyani, Nyepi is a time of personal growth and a metaphysical spring-cleaning.

“We clean our house to welcome the New Year, that is, spiritual cleaning, by placing offerings around the house.

Despite Bali being in blackness and deserted, except the patrolling of village guards, looting and robberies don’t occur and murder has been unheard of according to insurance salesman, Dewa

Adnyana from Mega Pratama Insurance.

“For Balinese Nyepi helps people become better citizens. Over Nyepi we have never had a claim, but certainly in the weeks following Nyepi claim levels return to normal,” says Adnyana.

Surprisingly this positive behavior extends to foreigners traveling to Bali or staying on the island during the Day of Silence.

Ngurah Rai Airport general manager, Heru Legowo says travelers respect Bali’s adherence to its religious duties and take the airport closure in their stride.

“It is amazing – I have never heard of a complaint about the airport closure for Nyepi,” says Legowo.

“Bali is the only airport in the world that closes for a Day of Silence. Travelers understand, appreciate and respect the religion.”

Legowo’s experience is echoed by general manager of Sentosa private villas and spa, Wayan Supandi, who says many guests plan to be in Bali for the Nyepi period and they, like the Balinese, take time out for gentle self-discovery.

“Most people find Nyepi really interesting and want to understand this. We find guests are fascinated, asking staff about Nyepi and what it means; they want to be engaged with this. Where Nyepi is good for the society it is also very good for the environment and I definitely agree with the idea of having an international day of silence for the environment,” says Suprandi.

While the idea of an international day of silence as a gift to the earth was mooted by Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik during the 2007 Climate Change conference in Bali, the costs and logistics of such an event had big business and foreign governments running for cover.

According to Legowo, the logistics of shutting down airports and harbors are intense. Ngurah Rai Airport advises travel agents and airlines worldwide three months ahead of Nyepi of its closure; airlines re-ticket passengers booked over the 24-hour blackout and the harbors in Gilimanuk and Padang Bai have backlogs of hundreds of trucks stopped in their tracks by the passing of the old year.

“We put Nyepi out to every airport around the world through
NOTAM (Notice to Airmen). This notice was sent out three months prior to March 16 so everyone in the aviation industry, from pilots to travel agencies, knows that on March 16 there are no flights in Bali for the day. Normally there are 200 planes landing and taking off at Ngurah Rai airport so you can imagine what that means when there are no planes in Bali,” says Legowo.

Despite the airport closure, airport traffic controllers, electricians and other staff are on standby.
“In case of emergency if a plane is forced to land in Bali we are ready, everyone is in position,” says Legowo.

When asked how much it costs to shut down an international airport for 24 hours, Legowo answers graciously; “I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss the cost of Nyepi [to the airport] when discussing religion,”

Closures to the Gilimanuk and Padang Bai harbors over Nyepi lead to some backlog of trucks and buses; on reopening these are rapidly cleared, according to Gilimanuk harbormaster, Dewa Kari, who explains Gilimanuk alone has a daily truck throughput of around 200.

“The harbor will be closed from 6 a.m. on March 16 to 6 a.m. March 17. Clearly closing the harbor for the day is expensive, however it is important to pay respect to the Hindu Day of Silence,” says Dewa Kari.

On the spiritual level, the year’s backlog of demons will also be cleared on the night before Nyepi. The ogoh ogoh monsters will hunt out evil from every crack and crevice and the Balinese New Year will be born afresh.

Source: thejakartapost.com Trisha Sertori, Contributor, Bali | Thu, 03/04/2010

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Indonesian museum representatives to meet in Lombok

2010-03-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

Members of museum management boards throughout Indonesia are scheduled to hold a meeting in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, from March 29 to April 1, 2010, to discuss museum matters.

"The event will be attended by 250 representatives from different parts of the country," head of West Nusa Tenggara Culture and Tourism Agency Lalu Gita Ariadi said in Mataram on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara state news agency

The meeting will be part of a MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition) program, designed to help the planned launch of Visit Lombok and Sumbawa 2012, with its target of attracting one million tourists, succeed.

One of the agendas of the meeting will be to revitalize museums as tourism attractions and as centers for historical study and research, Ariadi said, adding the event would be part of efforts to encourage tourists to visit museums in the country.

thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | Tue, 03/02/2010

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Rediscovering Yogyakarta (Part 1)

2010-03-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Being born and bred two hours from Yogyakarta for a quarter century doesn't make one an expert on the special territory, even when visits are frequent.

And "truth" sometimes hits home like a smack to the head, as without expectations, Yogyakarta Plaza Hotel's recent invitation to take a few journalists on a journey down a road less traveled through Yogyakarta was a combination of mind opener and bitter reality.

It didn't start off too well though, as special days like Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year * both on the same date to boot * caused an explosion in airline passengers from Jakarta to other cities. And arriving an hour before departure time * instead of two * is not such a bright idea, especially if you plan to travel with a certain local budget airline, if complaints about its services are anything to go by.

Garuda Indonesia, however, has always been a dependable airline, so that when that particular budget airline demands that a dozen of its complaining passengers pay full price for another ticket for the next flight, paying slightly more is worth it. Specifically because you know that Garuda won't take off without you.

The hospitable nature of the people at Yogyakarta Plaza Hotel was liberating. Part of the Prime Plaza Hotel chain, the two-story building is a four-star hotel with majestic traditional Javanese architecture. In addition to its 157 available cozy rooms and the pleasantly dim, vast lobby, the swimming pool and international standardized spa are inviting.

Location-wise, the hotel is highly strategic, with the international airport, train station, Jl. Malioboro and Gadjah Mada University just minutes away. Just as conveniently, the cultural attractions of Yogyakarta are also nearby, making the whole Yogya experience worthwhile.

After a satisfying lunch by the pool on the day of our arrival, we prepared to embark on a journey called "The Village Tour", riding Andong (traditional horse carts) along the tracks between paddy fields surrounding Prambanan to visit cultural and community sites in the surrounding areas.

"We usually start in the morning, covering various sites like Plaosan temple and neighborhoods where fermented sticky rice, tempeh and emping (chips) are made. We have also combined the experience of making a brick at a traditional brick site or woodcutting in the handicraft village of Bobung on the tour. The half-day journey starts at Manjusrigraha traditional puppet museum and ends with lunch at Kali Opak Restaurant," said our guide Suryadi.

The tour cost Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 per person, while Manjusrigraha holds Suryadi's collection of traditional puppets, paintings, keris daggers, rare batik fabrics and a full set of gamelan instruments.

With his wife Yuli, Suryadi opened Kali Opak Restaurant in Ngablak, Sleman, in 2003. A German-speaking tour guide, he made the village tour available after a request from a foreign tourist who visited his restaurant. He now has various packages from village tour plus lunch to village tour plus traditional puppet performance or brief gamelan practice session.

"Both the Jakarta International School and the Deutsche Internationale Schule Jakarta are regular customers. Internationally, the package is offered to Dutch tourists via Fox Raizen travel agency, bringing hundreds of tourists four to five times a month. The packages are also quite known in Switzerland," he added.

Reachable via kaliopak_resto05@yahoo.ca, around 400 to 500 international tourists take the package during peak season, usually from April to September. "Local tourists are also welcome," he said, acknowledging that only a handful of locals preferred heritage sites and green lush sceneries to shopping for cheap goods.

Yogyakarta, sitting on 3.185,80 square kilometers of land with a four million population, has its Center for Preservation of Cultural Heritage (Balai Pelestarian Peninggalan Purbakala) reporting a total of 185 temple complexes, many of them located in Sleman and the majority of them left unattended.

Acknowledged majestic world heritage sites like Prambanan and Borobudur temples are locally well-known, but information on other temples * like the nearby Mendut or Pawon temples in addition to those located a bit farther like Ijo temple in Sambirejo village and Morangan temple in Ngemplak sub-district * is scarce.

Plaosan Temple is sadly one of them. Located about a kilometer north of Prambanan, the temple complex was awfully quiet when we visited the site. The wet black stones of the twin temples glimmered on that dark rainy afternoon, surrounded by about 50 unfinished temples and two statues of demon giants guarding the front. Although affected by the 2006 earthquake, major temples are still standing with contrasting green yards hidden perfectly by the walls surrounding each of the two * a remarkable view compared to the dusty fields of Prambanan and Borobudur.

Remnants of Mahayana Buddha, including near perfect statues of Samantabadra and Ksitigarbha inside the North Temple and Manujri in the South Temple, are silent witnesses to the unification of the Sanjaya and Syailendra dynasties through the political marriage of Rakai Pikatan (838-851 AD) to Pramodhawardani in the ninth century.

The view of the complex was astoundingly gripping. In the silent flow of the wind, amid the touch of the rain and glimpses of light through the dark clouds, we once again found ourselves mesmerized by majestic ancient remnants. Shivers ran down my spine as I realized that my rediscovering Yogyakarta took at least a quarter century to start.

Er Audy Zandri, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Mon, 03/01/2010

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Bad infrastructure blamed for slow growth

2010-02-20T04:38:00.000-08:00

Lack of sufficient infrastructure has been blamed for slow investment growth and development in the southern parts of West Java.

A number of businesspeople have acquired land in the region for tourism and industry purposes, but poor infrastructure facilities such as damaged roads and lack of an electricity network, remain growth obstacles.

"It's a pity because the province's southern region has big business potential in agribusinesses and tourism," Agung Suryamal Sutisno, chairman of the provincial chapter of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) said Thursday.

He expressed hope that both the central government and local provincial and regency administrations would be serious in developing the infrastructure to help accelerate investment in the region.

In a separate occasion, Governor Ahmad Heryawan conceded the minimum infrastructure facilities in the region accounted for the high disparity between the northern and southern regions in terms of development.

"So far we only have one national road in Pangandaran, but it is already old," he said.

In terms of infrastructure accessibility, West Java is lagging behind other parts of Java Island. East Java presently has about 300 kilometers of national road; Central Java has 100 kilometers in its southern region while West Java has only a quarter of Central Java.

In fact, according to Heryawan, the West Java's southern road stretches for 421 kilometers from Pangandaran in Ciamis regency to Pelabuhan Ratu in Sukabumi regency. Yet, only 25 kilometers of it has been upgraded into a national road.

The administration has, since 2008, been proposing the southern route project to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which, Heryawan said, had begun to yield fruits.

The number of national roads in the province has begun to increase since December 2009. The bridges in the province's southern parts have been reconstructed to connect routes that previously were unfinished.

He also said his administration was developing the road connecting the province's central and southern regions. Among others include the 25-kilometer road to Sukabumi passing through Surade-Cidolog-Surade-Tegalbuleud that has not been renovated for 15 years. Other roads being repaired include the 24-kilometer route connecting Cianjur and Bandung regencies through Warungkondang - Cibeber - Sindangbarang and the access road from Pangalengan in Bandung regency to the Rancabuaya region in Garut regency.

The the road project, estimated for completion in four years, is expected to ease access for investors to the region.

Source: thejakartapost.com | Sat, 02/20/2010

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Conservation body backs plan to bring in elephants

2010-02-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

The Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) has approved of Bali tourism parks’ plan to truck in more elephants as part of efforts to draw more visitors, following the provincial administration’s rejection of the idea.

BKSDA Bali head Istanto said the request by the parks to bring over Sumatran elephants would need initial approval from the Forestry Ministry and the Indonesian Institute of the Sciences (LIPI).

He added the final approval would come from the local BKSDA.

Approval will depend heavily on the number of animals requested, as the move is subject to prevailing restrictions from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES.

The restrictions, reviewed regularly, are aimed at ensuring the trade in wild animals does not threaten their survival.

“The provincial administration has no authority to reject the tourism parks’ request to bring in more elephants,” Istanto said. “That’s the authority of the BKSDA.”

Four parks in Bali requested more Sumatran elephants from the Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, during a meeting earlier this month on wildlife.

The parks all agree the addition of elephants would boost visitor numbers to Bali, particularly if the pachyderms were used to give rides.

The Taro Elephant and Safari Park, and the Bali Zoo Park, both located in Gianyar regency, had requested an additional 10 and 14 elephants respectively.

The Kasiana Park in Badung regency has asked for 15 more elephants, while the Bakas Zoo in Klungkung regency is seeking 20 more elephants.

Bali’s current elephant population in 93 — 32 at Taro, 18 at Kasiana and 10 at Bakas.

Thirty-three others are housed at the Bali Safari and Marine Park.

The request has met with opposition from the provincial administration.

Bali Forestry Agency deputy head Made Gunaja said the island did not need any more elephants, as it could give rise to human-animal conflicts.

Provincial secretary Nyoman Yasa concurred, saying the governor had previously made it clear that the elephant population on Bali should be capped.

The BKSDA maintains the elephants proposed for used as attractions are domesticated, and thus would not encroach on human settlements.

“We don’t think there’ll be any conflict between the elephants and humans, because these elephants aren’t wild,” Istanto said.

“They’ve been domesticated. Besides, the parks all have qualified animal trainers.”

He added that based on the BKSDA’s studies, Bali could still accommodate another 59 elephants over the next 25 years.

“The 59 elephants requested by the parks would obviously be brought over in phases, not all at the same time,” he said.

“Therefore there should be no problem to bringing them here.”

The Way Kambas National Park is home to an estimated 200 wild elephants and has 61 domesticated elephants at its training center.

Sumatran elephants are classified by CITES as extremely endangered, with less than 3,000 believed to still be living in the wild.

Their greatest threat is the loss of their natural habitat due to human encroachment.

Source: thejakartapost.com, Denpasar | Fri, 02/19/2010

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Tourists struggle to obtain visas at Ngurah Rai airport

2010-02-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Tourism authorities have asked immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali to improve their visa on arrival service following complaints from foreign visitors.

“The problem with the immigration division at Ngurah Rai International Airport, especially its visa on arrival service, looks like a severe disease,” Bali Tourism Agency head Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu told kompas.com on Wednesday.

He added that foreign tourists had to line up for hours in a heavily crowded booth to obtain their visas on arrival.

“Once I received a report saying that a tourist went mad because of the inconvenient service at the immigration booth,” Subhiksu said.

The Bali administration has been urging the central government to fix the matter, but the trouble has remained unaddressed, he added.

Source: thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | Wed, 02/17/2010

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Of `ogoh-ogoh' and silence: Balinese gear up for New Year

2010-02-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

Thousands of people across Bali have been busy making the giant ogoh-ogoh effigies in preparation for the celebrations of the upcoming Caka Hindu New Year 1932, popularly known as Nyepi, or the Day of Silence.

The event falls on March 16.

Wayan Wahyu Semadi, from Banjar Lantang village in Denpasar, built his ogoh-ogoh with the help of five neighbors.

"We're now finishing the head of the effigy," he said, adding the torso had been completed earlier.

Every banjar, or traditional village community, must prepare at least one ogoh-ogoh for each Nyepi.

The ogoh-ogoh are giant papier-m*ch* demons that symbolize all things bad.

On the eve of the Caka New Year, Balinese Hindus parade them along the streets and burn them together to dissipate any negative energy.

The effigies usually take the form of wild beasts, usually the mythical butha kala, but in recent times have been made in the form of popular cartoon characters.

Also in the past few years, effigies have been made resembling notorious public figures, including graft suspects and terrorists.

The Caka New Year is observed in total quiet and contemplation. The entire island falls into darkness on the night, as the Hindu faithful are prohibited from lighting a fire or using electricity, or even leaving home.

Virtually all activities will come to a halt for 24 hours, including tourism offices and the airport, while the streets will be deserted.

Local resident Wayan Chandra said making the ogoh-ogoh helps strengthen communal relation among neighbors.

"It's a collective work by all villagers," he said.

Each member chips in to buy the necessary materials.

"A big ogoh-ogoh can cost millions of rupiah," Chandra said.

This year, Denpasar will host an ogoh-ogoh competition.

Municipal spokesman I Made Erwin Suryadarma said the administration had given Rp 3.5 million to each of the city's 350 youth groups to make ogoh-ogoh.

Community elder I Made Karim called on all residents to make creative ogoh-ogoh.

"We call on the youths not to make any effigies that can cause social, religious or ethnic tensions," he added. The city will hold an ogoh-ogoh parade on March 15.

Source: thejakartapost.com Denpasar | Wed, 02/17/2010

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Megalithic site found in South Sumatra

2010-02-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: A megalithic settlement has recently been unearthed at Skendal village, 10 kilometers from the town of Pagaralam in South Sumatra.

Irfan Wintarto, an official at the Lahat Culture and Tourism Agency's Historical and Archeological Preservation Department, said local residents had discovered around 36 types of rocks on a 150-by-300-meter plot in the middle of a 2-hectare coffee plantation. The site is currently being investigated by the Archeological Region Conservation and Heritage Center (BPPP).

"The findings are believed to date back to around 5,000 B.C.," Irfan said.

"The types of rocks and megaliths found are quite diverse."

Among the items are a mortar and a 1-by-1.3-meter relief showing a woman riding an elephant with two children, and people being attacked by crocodiles and large snakes, as well as several altars believed to have been used for offerings.

Source: thejakartapost.com | Wed, 02/17/2010

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High crime rate may hurt tourism

2010-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

The increasing crime rate in Bali could affect the island's tourism industry, with 10,430 cases reported in 2009, a 22.49 percent rise compared to the 8,090 cases in 2008, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen Sutisna told reporters on Tuesday.

He said a tourism boom may have led to the increased crime rate.

Bali saw an increase in criminal cases such as murder, drugs, rape, robbery and petty crimes, he said.

Criminal cases involving foreigners also increased.

In late 2009, Bali was rocked by the murders of two Japanese tourists. In September, Rika Sano was found dead in Kuta tourist resort. Three months later in December, another Japanese woman was killed in her boarding room, also in Kuta.

"In the last three years, there has been a tendency *for criminals* to target foreign visitors and expatriates staying in Bali," Sutisna told members of the Bali Legislative Council.

Data from the Bali Tourism office showed the number of foreign visitors increased from 1.9 million in 2008 to 2.2 million in 2009.

Sutisna predicted the island's crime rate would likely increase in line with the rapid growth of the tourism industry and the regional elections in May.

"Transnational crime such as bank fraud, terrorism, drug and human trafficking may highlight the island's crime scene this year due to the tourism boom."

Bali was hit by two terrorist bomb blasts in Oct. 2002 and Oct. 2005. The island is also notorious as a transit for drug traffickers and other transnational crimes including international bank fraud syndicates.

Last month, a number of Iranians were caught trafficking drugs via Bali targeting users in Jakarta.

A spate of ATM fraud involving foreign citizens also hit the island.

Local legislator Made Arjaya insisted authorities improve security to ensure the safety of both local and foreign visitors, as well as residents.

"What is happening in Bali? We saw an increase in the number of crimes against foreigners. Do we have good security?" Arjaya asked the police chief.

He said security was an important issue in Bali and that the administration and police were responsible for protecting residents and visitors.

"Security issues are major concern for many countries. Security problems could lead to travel warnings, preventing foreigners from visiting Bali," he said.

Sutisna also warned people of possible conflict in May's regional elections.

"The election may spark conflict among the candidates' followers," he said, adding that Bali Police would deploy 3,500 personnel to safeguard the elections.

Arjaya added the police had to prepare for possible security disturbances by improving its system and adding to its personnel. "We learned from the previous legislative and presidential elections last year that conflicts and brawls are likely to break out in the course of the election process," he warned.

Source: thejakartapost.com, Denpasar | Wed, 02/03/2010

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Komodo Island's bid for 7 wonders listing in jeopardy

2010-02-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

JAKARTA: The Komodo Island National Park is struggling to be listed among the world's seven wonders as public support continues to decline, an official said.

East Nusa Tenggara Tourism Agency head Ansherius Takalapeta told Antara the position of Komodo Island had dropped to between 8 and 14. It was previously between 1 and 7.

The island has been named one of 28 finalists from 440 nominees for the world's seven wonders by the New7Wonders Foundation.

The finalists were selected via an online voting system that will continue until 2011.

Komodo was believed to be the last primeval animal on earth.

"We will continue to campaign for support not only from the people in East Nusa Tenggara, but from the people of Indonesia," Anshrerius said, adding the success of Komodo Island would benefit the whole country.

He said that without the support of all Indonesians, the dream of being selected as one of the seven wonders of the world would never come true.

Source: thejakartapost.com, Fri | 02/05/2010

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Russian Ambassador: ‘Indonesia is very much like home’

2010-02-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

In light of the 60th anniversary of Indonesian-Russian diplomatic relations, the Russian ambassador to Indonesia is thinking of home, and how in Indonesia he is reminded of it every day.

On this special day, Ambassador Alexander A. Ivanov recalls his times as a child in Moscow, as “the best of times”.

Growing up in Russia in the ‘50s and ‘60s there was a real sense of national pride, which displayed itself in innumerable poems and songs. Ambassador Ivanov recounts its heavy influence in song composition and says the college years he spent involved with Russian music as some of the best of his life.

He says that this is one of the things that makes Indonesia feel like home.

“The music here is very, very similar to Russian music. The same melodies, and even the same lyrics. It is very reminiscent of home.”

While Ambassador Ivanov may not feel as though he has come very far from his boyhood in Moscow, he certainly has.

Studying at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, there was a heavy focus on education on foreign affairs.

He studied European and American foreign policy, and learned English and Bangla.

After graduating from university, he joined the ministry of foreign affairs and became heavily involved in Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia.

His first trip away from Russia was to visit the land of the language he had studied, Bangladesh.
His first experience, he says, was a challenge.

“Not because of the language, my language skills greatly improved while I was there, but because of the different culture and traditions. All I had known was Russia, so it was all very foreign to me.”

He soon became adept at the foreign lifestyle however, and went on to work and live in other Asian nations, such as Japan, where he worked as a political councilor for four years.

He also worked in the Department of Foreign Policy dealing with European security, and spent a lot of his time in European countries, mainly in Italy, where he became proficient in the language.

Upon arriving in Indonesia with his wife (where they have now been for three years), Ambassador Ivanov says he was amazed at the sheer size of Jakarta.

“I did not expect it to be so large, to have so many skyscrapers, to be so modern.”

His first experiences with the people in Jakarta were pleasant ones.

“I immediately loved the people here, they are always so happy, so friendly, [and] they are always smiling.”

He noticed the similarities between Russia and Indonesia at once. While the climates are polar opposites, the culture is very similar, he says.

“They both have very similar features; they are big countries, multiethnic and multireligious countries [Russia has a substantial Muslim population], and both have a heavy focus on the peaceful coexistence of the different groups.”

Ambassador Ivanov loves Indonesia for its culture and its nature, and plans to showcase these,
along with Russia’s, in a photo exhibition.

They will hold the exhibition at the Russian Cultural Center in celebration of the jubilee, displaying the different landscapes of Russia and Indonesia.

The snowy landscape of Russia is what Ambassador Ivanov misses the most, along with his 35-year-old daughter.

“I love to ski, but when I visit my home I rarely get time, due to the duties an ambassador obviously has. Visiting various ministries and NGOs means little time for skiing.”

For the ambassador, moving to snowless Indonesia meant finding a new hobby.

He starts and ends each day the same way; with at least a half-hour swim in the mornings, and exercises his love of reading in the evenings before bed.

His other great loves are quite reminiscent of home and very typical for a Russian-born: ballet and classical music.

In 2007 and 2009, the ambassador invited famous Russian musicians to come to Jakarta to play and he hopes to be able to do more to bring the beautiful classical music of Russia to Indonesia.

He was astonished to learn that there is a ballet studio in Jakarta, the principal of which practices Russian ballet, often renowned as the greatest in the world.

Ambassador Ivanov hopes to see more Russian influences such as this, and aims for it to be made possible for Indonesian students to learn the Russian language.

The embassy runs scholarship programs enabling Indonesian students to study in Russia, and is producing an Indonesian-Russian text book.

“It would be very beneficial to any Indonesian student to receive such a high-standard education, as is offered in Russia. It promotes people-to-people contact between the two countries; they will make friends there and maintain contact between Russia and Indonesia.”

Especially on a day like today, Ambassador Ivanov says he is reminded of the importance of relations such as this between Russia and Indonesia. They are important for two reasons in the ambassador’s eyes.

“First, because we have a historical friendship. Russia was a great support to Indonesia in its first years of independence and the relationship continued to grow from there. Second, because we have a similar concept of the new world.

“We’re national partners in the modern world with very similar features; we’re both very constructive and influential in the global arena, especially now that Indonesia is in the G20 and was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on both of which Russia is a permanent member.”

Ambassador Ivanov hopes these ties continue to strengthen and that tourism between the two countries flourishes.

“Ninety thousand Russians visited Bali last year, that may not be as much as other countries like Australia, but we spent more,” he laughs.

“It’s in our national character.”

Sourse: thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | Fri, 02/05/2010

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Fatahillah Museum seeks funding for restoration

2010-02-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

Authorities of the Fatahillah or Jakarta History Museum are currently seeking additional funding for repairs to the building because of the limited maintenance funding already allocated by the city administration this year.

Old Town management unit (UPT) chief Candrian Attahiyyat on Thursday said the museum was in a dire need of repairs because around one-fifth of the roofs of the two-story building leaked, and more than half of its woodwork was rotten.

“We need to fix them soon so that the roof does not collapse during heavy rains,” Candrian said.

The rotten woodwork could be seen in several doors and windows inside the museum.

“The woodwork is old and has been eaten by termites,” he said.

Candrian said his office would hold a meeting tomorrow with the Jakarta Culture and Tourism Agency and the Netherlands Embassy in Indonesia, to survey the damage and structure of the building.

“We will discuss the level of damage and amount of money needed to repair the building,” he said.

Despite its current condition the museum was still safe for the public and did not need to remove its collections, Candrian said.

Tourism agency chief Arie Budhiman said that his office would propose the additional funding for the restoration plan in the regional budget adjustment for the second half of 2010.

“We expect the restoration work will cost at least cost Rp 6 billion [US$631,578],” Arie said.

The city administration would allocate Rp 1.4 billion, including the existing maintenance funds allocated to Fatahillah Museum this year, he said. “But that is not enough to cover all the repairs needed,” he said.

Beside the maintenance, the money would be used to cover operational costs and salaries of museum employees.

This year, Arie said, his office was prioritizing to repair other historic buildings that were in a worse condition than Fatahillah Museum.

“We are currently repairing Bahari and Thamrin Museums, which will not be finished within one year.”

Arie said he was expecting the city administration to pay more attention to the local heritage by providing more funding to preserve historic buildings.

“We hope all museums in the capital will be restored by 2012,” he said.

The Old Town has 284 heritage buildings — 23 belonging to state-owned companies and 255 belonging to the private sector and individuals.

The Old Town area covers parts of West and North Jakarta, including Sunda Kelapa port and the Old Fish Market.

Source: thejakartapost.com | Fri, 02/05/2010

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Post-conflict Ambon set to host international yacht rallies

2010-02-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

Once a site of a year-long sectarian conflict, the city of Ambon in Maluku province is set to show its secure condition by hosting an international marine event this year.

The Sail Banda 2010 will kick off July 24 with a yacht rally.

Around 200 boats will set sail from Darwin, Australia. The first leg will finish on Banda Islands, the second leg will commence from Banda to Ambon and the third will be to Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi.

The event will also include international and national conferences, an international symposium and other activities.

The Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare will also hold a civic mission by providing, among others, free healthcare services, cataract operations and vaccines for toddlers.

The funding for the event mostly comes from the state budget, with around Rp 20 billion (US$2 million) coming from the Coordinating Public Welfare Ministry and Rp 9.5 billion from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.

“The Maluku provincial government has also provided Rp 12 billion for the event,” Aji Sularso, director general for resource supervision and control at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, said during the Sail Banda 2010 launch in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The funding from the province is being used to prepare the needed facilities in Maluku, while the money disbursed by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is for activities. The coordinating ministry office is preparing the funding for ship fuel and the civic mission.

He said that the event aimed to make Maluku a tourism gateway to eastern Indonesia by promoting its historical and maritime beauty.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said he sought to develop Maluku’s potential in fishery and other marine products through the event.

He said he targeted the province to be a fish production center.

“Maluku holds large potential in this area,” he said.

Maluku governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said his province produced 32 percent of the national fish production, or around 10 million tons in 2009.

Maluku, he said, could still boost its production to contribute 50 percent of domestic production.
“With the Sail Banda we hope to improve our tourism sector.

“An event of this scale is sure to bring investors to our province, in fact, chain hotel group Aman is set to turn historical houses [in Banda Islands] into an international class resort, which will probably be the most expensive in the world,” he added.

Garuda Indonesia is also set to open a route from Denpasar, Bali, to Ambon.

“The needed infrastructure in Maluku and Ambon is almost ready. We have completed building the facilities including a hotel, an international airport and seaport. Hopefully it will all be ready in July,” he said.

Source: thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | Fri, 02/05/2010

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AirAsia opens gates to magical India

2010-02-04T17:44:00.001-08:00

Those who went to high school in Indonesia might remember specific history classes about India. Details about the Taj Mahal, the story of Buddha and Ramayana all keep our imaginations alive.

The magic of India has remained in our thoughts long after those history lessons, kept alive by the vast number of Bollywood movies played on local television and mixed Indian tunes played under the category of world music on our favorite radio programs.

We have India on our minds but have rarely entertained the idea of going there, considering it too far way and the cost of traveling there tremendous.

And successfully reading our inner desires, AirAsia has once again decided to help us realize those lingering dreams of experiencing the real India. Its latest move to open direct flights from Malaysia to six new routes to India is fresh, eye opening and, for lack of a better word, delightful.

Launching the flights in the first quarter of this year, the new services will link Kuala Lumpur and Penang to cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, making AirAsia the only airline to link Malaysia to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in direct flights.

The Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad sectors will be serviced by AirAsia's A320 aircraft; Mumbai and Delhi will be served by its long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X with its new Airbus A330 fleet. Promotional rates from as low as RM 199 are being offered for the routes, with booking periods running from Jan. 27 to 31.

With a total of 148 flights weekly, the new development is subsequent to the airline's huge success in opening flights to Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Kolkata, Kochi and recently Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), recording an average 80 percent load factor on all four existing routes.

"AirAsia has well arrived in the Indian market to change the very definition of low-cost airlines as the India market is booming. We are proud to position Kuala Lumpur as the gateway to India and at the same time it is India's gateway to ASEAN," said Dato' Sri Tony Fernandes, group CEO of AirAsia Berhad, launching the program in Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 26.

And it was at this time that Kathleen Tan, AirAsia regional head of commercial, stated her belief that AirAsia's low fares would help stimulate and trigger new travel demand and help to boost the tourism potential from both countries.

Targeting the routes for especially young working adults and families, Kuala Lumpur will become a gateway to over 130 routes in Asia through these direct flights, including regional ASEAN cities or long-haul sectors serviced by AirAsia X such as the Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne in Australia, Hangzhou, Tianjin and Chengdu in China, Taipei, London and Abu Dhabi.

For aspiring Indonesian travelers, the time has come for us to get firsthand experience of the Charminar, an imposing signature monument of Hyderabad, India's premier scientific establishments in Bangalore, the capital city New Delhi, along with The Qutub Minar and obviously the unrivaled Taj Mahal and all the other magical aspects of India.

Source: thejakartapost.com Thu, 02/04/2010

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FIFA trophy touches down in Jakarta town

2010-01-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

The FIFA World Cup Trophy arrived at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport on Sunday as part of its world tour organized by FIFA and Coca-Cola.

“This is the second time we’ve brought the authentic trophy to Jakarta and we are proud that we are able to help spread the spirit of the world cup here and hope it will boost the feeble spirit of our national soccer,” Coca-Cola Indonesia executive Olivia Lestari told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

“We want to give football fans the unique opportunity to have their picture taken with the most prestigious prize in world football and

to embrace the excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup,” said Olivia.

The trophy last visited Jakarta in 2006.

World football’s greatest prize is on its longest ever global tour, with FIFA and The Coca-Cola Company taking the solid-gold trophy to 86 countries during a 225-day journey, allowing fans around the world to enjoy a rare close-up of the authentic trophy.

The tour, which began its journey from FIFA Headquarters on Sept. 21, 2009, will travel 134,000 kilometers around the world before arriving in 2010 FIFA World Cup host country South Africa on May 4, 2010.

Jakarta became the fourth stop in Asia after Kolkata, Ho Chi Minh, and Bangkok. The next destination is Kuala Lumpur.

The trophy arrived at the airport under tight security arrangements and is only allowed to be shown to journalists during a press conference on Monday and to the public on Tuesday at the Jakarta Convention Center.

“FIFA has arranged a special arrangement for the security of the trophy, working together with local police and security guards,” said Olivia.

Soccer fans will be able to see the trophy after purchasing Coca-Cola products. Visitors will be able to be photographed with the trophy.

The current FIFA World Cup Trophy replaced the Jules Rimet trophy, which was stolen in Brazil in 1983 and never recovered.

The Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the winner of the FIFA World Cup from 1930 to 1970, and the FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day.

The trophy stands 36.5 centimeters tall and is made of 5 kilograms of 18 carat (75%) solid gold with a base, 13 centimeters in diameter, containing two layers of malachite. It weighs 6.175 kg in total, and depicts two figures holding up the Earth.

Source: thejakartapost.com Mon, 01/25/2010

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Ministry wants regions to promote museums

2010-01-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

Attracting not more than 3 percent of the country’s population, it’s not unfair to claim that Indonesia’s museums are unpopular.

This year, however, the Culture and Tourism Ministry had decided to promote the country’s flailing cultural sites by launching the “2010 Visit Museum Year.”

The program also marks the beginning of the ministry’s 5-year program called the “National Movement of Loving Museums,” which is aimed at revitalizing the country’s museums.

Intan Mardiana Napitupulu, the ministry’s director of museums, said the ministry would spend the year urging local governments and other institutions to spend more time evaluating the condition of museums and start making significant changes.

“We will help finance the renovation of more than a dozen museums,” she said, adding that she hoped that up to 90 museums could receive similar support by 2014.

Intan said it was not easy for most of the country’s museums to make major changes, which would attract an increasing number of visitors, due to financial limitations.

According to Intan, more than half of the country’s 272 museums are currently run and financially supported by regional administrations, while the remainder are managed by businesses, private foundations, government institutions and the army.

The ministry itself is responsible for only 10 museums, including the National Museum, also known as Museum Gajah (Elephant Museum), and the Proclamation Museum, which are both in Central Jakarta and the 250-year-old Vredeburg Fort in Yogyakarta.

“Such decentralized manage-ment should have made it easier for local governments or other institutions to develop their museums,” Intan said.

“Unfortunately though, only a small number of them have the budget to maintain their museums properly.”

Many museums even struggle to meet the ministry’s minimum service standards, including cleanliness and good air circulation, because of a lack of funding, said Intan.

In its 2009 survey, the directorate found that only 40 percent of museums met the standards of comfort and other basic functions specified by the ministry.

As well as poor maintenance in the majority of museums, more than 11 museums have shut down due to financial constraints.

“Some of the museums weren’t regularly open for visitors, while others didn’t have enough staff to manage the maintenance of their collections,” she said.

Intan said human resources was also a problem as few staffers came from an archeology background.

Many museums in Jakarta have vast and complete collections, but most of them are kept in storerooms.

More developed museums in European countries, for example, have a permanent exhibit, but several times a year they hold thematic exhibits of the collection they have in store. Jakarta’s museums, however, never do this.

Data from the ministry showed that Indonesia attracted 6.46 million foreign tourists last year, an increase from 6.2 million visitors in 2008. Many foreign tourists visit museums.

Source: thejakartapost.com Mon, 01/25/2010

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Banda Aceh, Islamic tourist destination

2010-01-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

A signboard on Jl. Mister Muhammad Hasan, the main access to provincial capital Banda Aceh, reads
“Welcome to Banda Aceh, Indonesia’s Islamic tourism destination.”
“As a place blessed with natural beauty, tourism is one of our main assets to improve our economy,” said Banda Aceh vice Mayor Illiza Saadudin.

According to Illiza, Indonesia, as well as the international community, is aware that Aceh implements Islamic sharia law, thus her office is making efforts to form a synergy between tourism and Islamic sharia so it may be able to become a marketable commodity. “We will not only prepare areas as tourist attractions, we will also make ready the human resources to make the ‘2012 Visit Aceh Year’ a success,” said Illiza.

She is optimistic that visitors would still visit Aceh should it become an Islamic tourist destination.

Religious tourism will be one of the city’s prime selling points thanks to various historical sites linked to the era of Islam’s arrival to the Indonesian archipelago.

“We aim to tailor tourist packages that are different to those of other provinces. One of those is to promote tourist attractions with an Islamic perspective,” she said.

The municipality will also promote areas devastated by the 2004 tsunami as tourist attractions. “I’m sure that many people will visit Banda Aceh to learn about Islamic history and the tsunami,” she said.

A number of people see the attempt of promoting the province as an Islamic tourist destination as a hindrance to the development of tourism in Aceh.

“The concept is ambiguous, I’m not sure Islamic tourism will bring benefits to the people,” said a Banda Aceh resident, Mariansyah Azis.

According to Mariansyah, Aceh apparently enforces sharia law, but that does not mean Aceh has something specific to offer to tourists, especially foreign visitors.

“Aceh also lacks a specific culture to offer, as opposed to Bali, which has a clear tourism concept,” he said.

Meanwhile, dozens of Muslim students affiliated with the Indonesian Muslim Students’ Union, urged the Banda Aceh municipality to immediately promote Banda Aceh as an Islamic tourist destination.

“The vision must be executed immediately, not just as a vision or jargon,” said Alfiyan Muhuddin.

According to the students, evidence shows that the Banda Aceh municipality is not yet capable of realizing the vision, given that many tourist resorts violate Islamic sharia.

The students also criticized the municipality for failing to uphold Islamic sharia. “We still see a lot of women going out at night with their partners,” said Alfiyan.

Illiza said Aceh’s vision as an Islamic tourist destination would be realized by 2012.

Source: thejakartapost.com Mon, 01/25/2010

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Beyond the Coral Triangle Summit

2010-01-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

This week’s Coral Triangle Business Summit see leaders from seafood, marketing, tourism, and travel industries engaging with representatives of the finance sector and government policy makers to forge new partnerships in the planet’s most important marine environment.

The summit comes at a time when there has never been more at stake for coastal communities and environments in the Coral Triangle – a region covering the marine areas of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. It focuses on sustainable growth and bring together business leaders and policy makers from across the region.

The Coral Triangle contains 75 percent of the world’s known coral species, one third of the world’s coral reef area and more than 3,000 species of fish, and its abundant marine life supports the livelihoods of more than 150 million people.

But the Coral Triangle is under threat. Under the current climate change path, and with the current rate of over-exploitation of marine resources, there will be 50 percent less protein available from the sea by 2050, and 80 percent less by the end of the century.

This represents a major food security threat for coastal communities in the Coral Triangle, to say nothing of the economic fallout on the millions of businesses that once relied on healthy marine environments across the region.

This looming threat to the region’s ongoing food security and economic prosperity inspired a historic demonstration of political will by leaders of all six Coral Triangle nations at the World Ocean Conference in Manado in May last year.

They stood together and committed to a plan of action to save the region’s marine environments by increasing protection for its natural wonders and reducing pressures on its marine environments.

The resulting Manado Ocean Declaration stressed the need for national strategies for sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystems, in particular those with significant potential for addressing the adverse effects of climate change such as mangroves, coral reefs and other natural features that buffer communities from extreme weather events. As impressive and unprecedented as this declaration was, it can only bear fruit if it is matched with a similar level of commitment from the private sector.

Seafood businesses and fishing operators, tourism companies, airlines, oil and gas companies all exploit the Coral Triangle’s abundant marine resources for their businesses. With rapidly expanding populations, economic growth and the pressures of international trade, these businesses are competing more and more for fewer resources.

Cooperation for the sake of sustainable growth therefore makes more business sense now than ever before.

There are growing legislative, social and market pressures on the corporate world to take greater responsibility for environmental performances, at all stages of the supply chain from the sourcing of raw product to final retail.

Responses to these growing pressures have seen the rapid adoption of global environmental standards and management practices, including in the Asia Pacific region.

Many of the world’s biggest corporations are based in the countries with the most stringent requirements, and businesses in Asia and the Pacific will be increasingly obliged to comply with the demands of these multi-national corporations. Recently US seafood company Anova Food and global seafood supplier Culimer BV have expressed their plans to source tuna caught with circle hooks, which reduce the unwanted bycatch of sea turtles by up to 90 percent.

In 2006, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, pledged that within three to five years it would source all fresh and frozen wild caught seafood from MSC-certified fisheries. Walmart has 1.6 million employees, over 6,000 stores and roughly 60,000 suppliers worldwide. As one of the largest sellers of seafood in the US, and by accessing 57 percent of seafood imports originating from Asia, Walmart has a significant influence over its suppliers globally.

Certification programs are also valuable business assets in tourism sector, where such programs reward operations that exhibit best practices and help differentiate them from those that are less environmentally sound. They also provide consumers with a way to identify tourism businesses they wish to support.

By taking early action to source only responsibly managed resources, and effectively marketing these endeavors, companies can achieve a business advantage in increasingly sophisticated and environmentally aware global and domestic markets.

Without measures to implement best practice environmental management, businesses risk losing market share, access to capital, and the goodwill needed to operate profitably.

Businesses that grow at the expense of the environment are becoming a thing of the past. The Coral Triangle Initiative ushers in a new approach to conservation in the region where the private sector has a vital role in being part of the solution.

How the business world decides to act now will determine whether we can lay the pathway to a safer future in which the Coral Triangle can continue to support millions of people living on the coast and remain the world’s most important marine environment.

James P. Leape is WWF director general and Arthur C. Yap is Philippine Agriculture Secretary.

Source: thejakartapost.com Thu, 01/21/2010

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Indonesia’s tourism — a national tragedy

2010-01-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

Government officials at all levels claim that Indonesia’s tourism is doing well, with each year seeing robust advancements. On the contrary, however, all the data indicate how dismally Indonesia’s tourism has done this past decade.

In the last 12 years to 2007, tourist numbers fluctuated between 4 million and 5 million visitors. The average length of stay has declined, from 10 days in 1997 to barely 8.5 days in 2008. Worst yet is how Indonesia compares with neighboring Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, which last year attracted 10 million, 15 million and 22 million visitors respectively.

How can such a huge discrepancy occur? How is it that Indonesia, brimming with such wealth in culture and natural beauty, attracts only a quarter of the tourists that basically barren Malaysia does?

This tragedy seems to have its source in the early 1980s, when Indonesia, strapped for funds, pointed to already world-famous Bali as its tourist cash cow. Since then, little has changed. As a result, Indonesia’s tourist attraction has been practically limited to Bali, with devastating consequences.

Tourists overflow in quantum leaps to Bali, creating an explosion of infrastructure requirements that visibly erode the natural environment.

The overconcentration of tourists in Bali has not only brought an unmanageable overflow of visitors to the island — often the wrong types who cannot appreciate the unique local culture and natural environment — but has also led to an utter neglect of the other many equally attractive tourist spots throughout the archipelago.

Fabulous sites such as Borobudur, Yogyakarta, Toraja, Bunaken and Ujung Kulon, for instance, have been practically left unheeded. Such complacency has a high price, as can been seen from the destructive erosion that the overcrowding of tourists has brought to Bali’s culture and environment, and how it has stagnated Indonesia’s other richly diverse tourist destinations.

How bad have these other destinations stagnated? Here are a few horrifying statistics:

Borobudur, that World Cultural Heritage icon, was only able to muster about 85,000 foreign tourists last year, compared to more than 1 million by the more recently discovered Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Toraja these last few years has only attracted an average of about 5,000 overseas tourists a year.

Bunaken averaged only about 10,000 foreign visitors a year for as long as one can remember, versus more than 4 million for the similar Pattaya in Thailand.

Ujung Kulon, with its rare one-horned rhino, can only claim an average of 6,000 combined domestic and foreign tourists a year.

A fast recovery is imperative here and the condition for this is a complete change in mind-set. The first order of the day is for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to declare tourism a national priority and for central and regional authorities as well as the government and the private sector to work hand in hand in this effort. This needs to be followed by a preliminary phase of quick-win activities rejuvenating tourist destinations that have so far languished but need only small improvements to boost them back.

Borobudur, for instance, can be brought back to full splendor by relocating the street vendors who have been encroaching on the temple grounds and harassed visitors from fully enjoying this beautiful temple/monastery. Toraja can also attract far more tourists by repairing its forsaken airfield so that visitors can arrive there within 45 minutes from Makassar and avoid the perilous 10-hour journey through steep mountains.

As for Ujung Kulon, tourist numbers can easily rise to more than a million there within a very short time if regular and safe sea transportation is made available from Jakarta. There are other fabulous places besides those mentioned above currently suffering from lack of attention, such as Mount Bromo, Yogyakarta and Komodo Island, which only need small touches to turn them quickly into major tourist destinations while easing the pressure on overcrowded Bali.

The quick-win phase should be followed by a longer-term buildup of other tourist sites nationwide, which will require more infrastructure investment to put them on the travel map. These sites are currently still relatively unfamiliar places, but have the potential to offer inherently unique attractions and help sustain the long-term development of Indonesia’s tourist industry.

Such places include Trowulan and Kota Gede for historical interests, Banda Naira and Raja Ampat for spectacular surfing, and the Baliem Valley and Waikabubak for unparalleled ethnic experiences. There are many other such tourist sites and they can be offered in clusters of similar attractions to make the trip for tourists richer and more diverse.

Both during the quick-win and long-term phases, the tourism recovery effort has to be supported by appropriately directed promotional campaigns with a common national branding. Malaysia has its “Truly Asia”, India its “Incredible” claim while Singapore and Thailand have respectively dubbed themselves “Uniquely Singapore” and “Amazing Thailand”. Branding is important to position the country concerned at the top of mind of would—be tourists while also filtering the right tourists who can appreciate what that country offers.

Increased arrivals of tourists, who show their appreciation of the local specialties, will make the local people proud of their heritage and motivate them to strengthen it further, which in turn will bring even more like-minded tourists. This will result in an upward spiral of tourists and local people hand in hand strengthening the traditional inheritance of the land.

A successful tourism program can have many priceless benefits for Indonesia, including making it the most diverse tourist destination in the world, providing it with a sustainable and environmentally clean source of revenue larger than any of its current ones, and bringing overall prosperity to the people throughout the archipelago (and not just Bali) through grassroots empowerment and self-sustenance.

These are huge potentials that Indonesia should strive its best to realize, as the rewards for their successes are just too great to forego.

The writer is a graduate of Harvard (in the United States) and Leiden (in the Netherlands) universities
and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (US). He was the social services minister under president Abdurrahman Wahid.

Source: thejakartapost.com Thu, 01/21/2010

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Garuda launches new services to net more Japanese travelers

2010-01-21T04:01:00.000-08:00

State airline company PT Garuda Indonesia, in cooperation with the immigration office, has launched an onboard visa application service on inbound flights from Japan.

The introduction of the service coincides with the launch of a premium tour and travel operation in Japan, managed by Garuda’s local partner and subsidiary.

The maiden flight of the “visa on board” service began Thursday, carrying approximately 180 tourists from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.

Each tourist is required, after checking in their baggage at the airport, to pay $10 for a seven-day visa or $25 for a 30-day visa at a designated counter.
The latter is extend-able for another 30 days without extra charge.

Two immigration officers are stationed in all Garuda flights from Japan to process the tourist visa applications.

Source: thejakartapost.com Thu, 01/21/2010

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