Tourism Development in Indonesia

Tourism in Indonesia

Tourism in Indonesia is being developed through two main programs, covering tourism and tourism products. There are five supporting programs, namely' control of environmental pollution, education, training and tourism guidance; tourism research and development; tourism infrastructure development; and the supervision and development of arts and culture.

The target for tourism set in Repelita VI is 6.5 million foreign tourists with US$9 billion in foreign exchange. Meanwhile 84.2 million domestic tourists are expected to spend nine (9) trillion rupiahs. Through various activities, tourism is expected to generate 900.000 new job opportunities.

OVERSEAS TOURIST PROMOTION

Tourist promotion campaigns have been staged through Indonesia's Seven Tourism Promotion Centers (P3I) abroad, namely in Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, London and Taipei. Since 1989 the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPI) developed new markets and improved promotion programs.

BPPI promotion efforts both at home and abroad was financed by 20% of the development tax revenue in ten tourist destinations, namely: North Sumatra, the Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, the Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, North Sulawesi, and South Sulawesi. However, due the protracted monetary crisis which hit Indonesia the fund collected from the ten tourist destinations was only sufficient for BPPI operational cost until August 1997. To overcome this problem various marketing’s efforts had been conducted in Singapore, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, America, England, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland.

In fiscal year 1997/98, an integrated promotion program was designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness, of marketing by reexamining the role and responsibility of agencies involved in overseas tourism marketing while utilizing all related components including Indonesian delegations abroad as well as students and the foreign media.

Several important tourism events abroad in which Indonesia participated among others were: International Travel Expo, June 1997 in Hong Kong; Holiday and Travel Show, June 1997 in Sydney; World Travel Market, November 1997 in London; Diving Equipment Marketing Association (DEMA), January 1998 in Orlando, Florida; and Internationale Tourismus Borse, March 1998 in Berlin.

In fiscal year 1997/98, international tourist activities held in Indonesia, were: Krakatau Festival in Lampung; the Culture Enchantment and Folk Performances Festival in Jakarta; Maleman Sriwedari and Obral Gedhe Solo in Central Java; and International Wind Surfing Competition in West Nusa Tenggara, Bali and South East Sulawesi.

Do You Know About Tourism Promotion In Indonesia?

DOMESTIC TOURISM PROMOTION

Tourist objects and tourist attractions are being introduced to the Indonesian people to promote domestic tourism. Group tourist awareness (Pokdarwis) has been established as moving spirit for tourist development such as the improvement of tourist attractions to socialize the Seven Charms Program (Sapta Pesona) consisting of safety, cleanliness, orderliness, comfort, beauty, hospitality, and enchanting memories. Until 1997/98, there were 921 Pokdarwis throughout Indonesia, or an increase of 71.5% since 1993/94. To encourage domestic tourism, in 1997/98 the Government started to develop tours for senior citizens.

The Tourist Awareness Campaign every year adopted different themes in accordance with the national development rhythm and dynamics. In 1997, the theme was The Year of Cooperatives and Telecommunication and in 1998 the theme was: The Year of Art and Culture.

Several national tourist events have been held throughout Indonesia. In 1997/98 the events included Toba Lake Festival in North Sumatra; The Indonesian Archipelago Palace Festival in West Java; Borobudur Festival in Central Java; Bromo Festival in East Java; The Balibo Art Festival in East Timor; The Bidar Kapuas Festival in West Kalimantan; Sea Park Festival in Maluku; and the Lembah Baliem Arts and Culture Festival in Irian Jaya.

Despite the current economic crisis which has hit Indonesia since July 1997, the number of domestic tourists increased steadily. In fiscal year 1997/98 the number of domestic tourists was 120 million persons who spent 14 trillion rupiahs.

Latest from Danau Toba (Toba Lake) in North Sumatra

Danau Toba Mulai Bersolek

Suara Pembaruan, 3 Agustus 2008

Semilir angin berembus dari balik pepohonan. Ombak kecil terlihat berkejaran. Ketika itu, mentari baru saja muncul dari balik pegunungan. Danau Toba seakan tersenyum. Seperti perawan habis berdandan. Memperlihatkan keindahan panorama alam sekitarnya.

Danau Toba seperti lautan. Tempat wisata di Sumatera Utara itu memberikan kenyamanan, ketenangan, dan membawa kedamaian. Berada di tempat itu, hilang kepenatan. Tidak mengherankan lokasi wisata itu sempat menjadi primadona, didatangi banyak orang, baik wisatawan lokal maupun dari mancanegara.

Gunung Toba cikal bakal Danau Toba disebut-sebut sebagai supervolcano yaitu gunung aktif dalam kategori sangat besar, meletus terakhir sekitar 74.000 tahun
lalu. Namun Gunung Toba yang kini telah berubah menjadi Danau Toba yang sebenarnya adalah kaldera dengan Pulau Samosir di tengahnya. Danau Toba, Sumatera Utara, menjadi bekas kaldera terbesar di dunia.

Pada tahun 1939, seorang geolog Belanda Van Bemmelen melaporkan, Danau Toba yang panjangnya 100 kilometer dan lebarnya 30 kilometer dikelilingi oleh batu apung peninggalan dari letusan gunung. Belakangan, beberapa peneliti lain menemukan debu rhyolit yang seusia dengan batuan Toba di Malaysia, bahkan juga sejauh 3.000 kilometer ke utara hingga India Tengah. Beberapa ahli kelautan pun melaporkan telah menemukan jejak-jejak batuan Toba di Samudra Hindia dan Teluk Bengal.

Letak Gunung Toba yang kini Danau Toba masih dianggap rawan bencana. Hal itu terkait posisi Indonesia yang terletak di pertemuan tiga lempeng tektonik, yakni Aurasia, Indo-Australia dan Lempeng Pasifik. Sebelumnya Gunung Toba pernah meletus sebanyak tiga kali. Letusan pertama terjadi sekitar 840 juta tahun lalu yang menghasilkan kaldera di selatan Danau Toba, yakni daerah Prapat dan Porsea.

Letusan kedua Gunung Toba berkekuatan lebih kecil, terjadi 500 juta tahun lalu.
Letusan itu membentuk kaldera di utara Danau Toba, yakni daerah antara Silalahi dengan Haranggaol. Dari dua letusan ini, letusan ketigalah yang paling dahsyat. Sementara letusan ketiga terjadi 74.000 tahun lalu yang membentuk Danau Toba sekarang dengan Pulau Samosir di tengahnya. Dengan luas 100 kilometer (km) kali 30 km itu dan Pulau Samosir di tengahnya, Danau Toba bak lautan saja. Lokasi itu berbatasan dengan Kabupaten Simalungun, Toba Samosir, Tapanuli Utara (Taput), Dairi, Tanah Karo, selain Samosir dan Humbang Hasundutan, Sumatera Utara. Kedalaman air danau diperkirakan lebih dari
150 meter.

Tempat wisata itu hanya dikenal dengan nama Parapat. Masuk wilayah Kabupaten Simalungun, Parapat berjarak sekitar 165 km dari Kota Medan. Tidak terlalu sulit mencapainya. Dari Medan, wisa- tawan dapat menaiki bus maupun mikrolet jurusan Kota Tarutung, Kabupaten Taput, dengan ongkos Rp 25.000. Hanya saja, diperlukan waktu tempuh sampai empat jam. Lumayan melelahkan. Tetapi jalan menuju tempat itu lumayan bagus. Kelokan-kelokan mulai ditemui di kawasan Pematang Siantar.

Ada alternatif lain jika ingin lebih cepat tiba di sana, yakni menumpang pesawat dari Bandara Polonia menuju Bandara Silangit di kawasan Kabupaten Taput. Lama perjalanan sekitar 30 menit. Dari Silangit menuju Parapat, memakan waktu perjalanan setengah jam dengan mengendarai mobil. Ke depan, pemerintah berencana membangun jalan tol dari Medan ke Tebing Tinggi, untuk mempercepat waktu perjalanan menuju Danau Toba di Parapat.

Danau Toba pernah menjadi kebanggaan. Selain menambah devisa negara, masyarakat sekitar juga merasakan manfaatnya. Banyak di antaranya yang dapat menikmati hasil sebagai pemandu wisata dan berwirausaha. Ciri Khas Danau Toba sangat jauh berbeda dengan danau lain di Asia. Sesuai penelitian, danau ini terbentuk akibat letusan gunung berapi supervulkanik sekitar 80.000 tahun lalu. Bahan-bahan vulkanik yang dimuntahkan gunung itu sebanyak 2.800 km kubik, di antaranya 2.000 km kubik abu vulkanik.

Letusan itu konon menelan korban tewas ribuan jiwa. Abu vulkanik tertiup angin selama dua minggu sampai ke barat. Setelah letusan, terbentuk kaldera yang terisi air, kemudian menjadi sebuah danau. Pulau Samosir mun- cul akibat tekanan ke atas oleh magma. Pulau itu juga menjadi tempat wisata, banyak menyimpan peninggalan bersejarah.

Danau itu mempunyai ciri khas. Di danau itu berkembang ikan poroporo, nila, dan mujair. Ikan poroporo paling banyak dibeli wisatawan sebagai oleh-oleh. Tentunya, ikan hasil tangkapan nelayan tersebut sudah dijemur terlebih dulu. Harganya Rp5.000, untuk ukuran satu bungkus plastik kecil. Untuk ukuran bungkus plastik besar, harganya Rp10.000. Jika tidak ingin repot-repot membawanya sebagai oleh-oleh namun hanya ingin mencicipi, tak perlu khawatir. Rumah makan-rumah makan di Parapat umumnya menyediakan hidangan dari ikan itu. Tidak asin seperti layaknya ikan asin, dan ikan ini renyah saat dikonsumsi. Ikan nila yang sudah dijemur lebih mahal harganya daripada ikan poroporo. Per ekornya Rp10.000 sampai Rp15.000.

Sebelum masa reformasi, ratusan wisatawan mancanegara berkunjung ke Danau Toba setiap hari. Tempat itu ramai seperti Pulau Bali. Namun, kunjungan wisatawan menurun setelah terjadi reformasi. Apalagi setelah muncul Travel Warning pemerintah asing yang melarang warganya berkunjung ke Indonesia. Menteri Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Jero Wacik, kagum saat melihat keindahan danau mahaluas itu. Bahkan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono juga mengakui keindahan alam Danau Toba. Apalagi melihat kultur masyarakat Toba, yang memiliki kekayaan budaya dari beberapa suku. Bila tetap dipelihara dan dilestarikan, danau itu dipastikan bisa bangkit kembali menjadi objek wisata unggulan, yang dapat meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat.

"Harus dikembangkan. Adat budaya berbagai marga ini akan semakin menarik perhatian wisatawan asing, sebab tidak ada dalam sejarah dunia. Potensi musik Batak yang sudah eksis di beberapa negara juga akan menarik perhatian wisatawan asing. Yang perlu ditingkatkan adalah keramahtamahan dan kesadaran wisata dalam jangka panjang. Sebab, keberhasilan pengelolaan wisata terlihat bila berulang kali dikunjungi wisatawan," ujar Jero Wacik saat berbincang dengan SP di Parapat, baru-baru ini.

Kepala Dinas Pariwisata Kabupaten Simalungun, Boundeth Damanik menyampaikan, kunjungan wisatawan asing ke Danau Toba mencapai 40.000 orang pada 2007. Angka itu belum termasuk wisatawan lokal. Memasuki tahun 2008, terhitung sejak awal Januari sampai dengan Juni, tercatat sekitar 10.000 orang berkunjung ke Danau Toba. "Kami yakin, jumlah wisatawan asing yang datang ke Danau Toba semakin bertambah besar pada tahun ini. Target yang dicapai bertambah 20 persen dari jumlah wisatawan yang datang pada tahun lalu. Kalau kunjungan domestik luar biasa, terutama pengunjung yang bermalam pada Sabtu sampai Minggu", Beliau menjelaskan.

Menginap. Tidak sulit menemukan hotel untuk menginap jika berkunjung ke Parapat. Pengunjung dapat menginap di Hotel Niagara, Parapat View Hotel, Hotel Wisata Bahari, Hotel Sapadia Conteque, Asari Hotel. Untuk kamar kelas standar, harga kamar berkisar Rp350.000 - Rp400.000 semalam, dan kelas suites lebih dari Rp 1juta. Jika dirasa terlalu mahal, banyak juga hotel kecil di seputar Danau Toba
yang tarifnya terjangkau, berkisar Rp100.000 - Rp200.000 per malam.

Urusan makan juga tidak merepotkan. Tinggal pilih rumah makan yang menyajikan masakan khas Batak, masakan Padang, Chinese food, maupun jenis menu lain. Gerai suvenir mudah ditemukan. Harga cendera mata bergantung pada jenis barang. Tas, misalnya, harganya Rp30.000 - Rp100.000, kalung Rp5.000 sampai Rp10.000, kaus mulai Rp15.000 sampai Rp30.000, sandal Rp15.000, syal atau selendang Rp10.000 sampai Rp15.000, baju anak-anak Rp15.000, topiRp3.000. Gantungan kunci bisa diperoleh mulai dari harga Rp 3.000.

"Sejak krisis moneter dan adanya travel warning pemerintah asing, kinjungan
wisatawan menurun drastis. Usaha yang digeluti masyarakat di daerah wisata ini
pun sudah ada yang ditutup. Danau Toba sepi pengunjung di hari biasa, dan baru
ramai di akhir pekan," ujar Bernard Sitorus (48), penjual suvenir. Sampai kini, banyak orang menikmati hasil dari keindahan alam danau tersebut. Hal itu dapat mereka nikmati karena ada aturan untuk menjaga keindahannya, seperti jangan membuang sampah, membuang kotoran, dan bahkan jangan ngomong kotor. Warga diminta tetap menjaga kebersihan dan kelestarian Danau Toba. Sayang lambat laun, aturan tersebut mulai ditinggalkan. Semua itu terjadi karena ada saja pihak yang berbuat semaunya. Kondisi Danau Toba yang dulunya indah, sehingga banyak didatangi wisatawan mancanegara, sempat tercemar lingkungannya.

Sampah berserak di sana-sini. Rumput dibiarkan tumbuh di mana-mana. Seperti
tidak ada lagi orang yang memedulikannya. Lokasi wisata itu dibersihkan hanya setiap kali ada acara tertentu, seperti kunjungan kepala negara atau pertemuan antarpejabat negara. Setelah itu, enceng gondok, keramba jala apung, maupun limbah rumah tangga, dan limbah perusahaan, dibiarkan mencemari danau begitu saja.

"Hal itu sering terjadi. Pemerintah setempat sepertinya kurang serius memberikan perhatian. Wajar saja turis jera berkunjung kembali ke daerah ini," ujar Agustinus, pemerhati Danau Toba. Belum lagi pedagang yang berulah menetapkan harga semaunya. Belum lagi pelayanan karyawan hotel yang kurang memuaskan. Nah, mungkinkan keindahan Danau Toba dapat dikembalikan seperti pada masa jayanya?

[SP/Arnold H. Sianturi]

Printed Media from MINISTRY of CULTURE & TOURISM

PRINTED MEDIA

Information on Investment of Tourism Industry in Indonesia
This book serves information in the field of tourism industry in Indonesia that covers policy, regulation and procedure as well as potential/ opportunity on investment in the field of tourism industry which in intended to provide an overall outlook regarding as well as location and employment opportunities which can be absorbed in each province of Indonesia. more »

The Country Paper of International Symposium of Trail of Civilization
Herewtih the country paper presentation of International Symposium "Trail of Civilization" (Cultural Heritage Tourism Cooperation among Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet nam, Jogjakarta, August 28, 2006 is downloadable on this site. more »

Poverty Alleviation Through Tourism
Editor Janianton Damanik, Hendri Adji Kusworo, Destha Titi Raharjana. ... there are pro-poor tourism concept and activity that are specifically directed to provide the local people with more opportunities to get better income from the development of the tourism. more »

Pro Poor Tourism
A Guide for Travellers, Tour Leaders and Developers more »

Turn A Child-Sex Tourist into an Ex-Tourist
Together we can protect the children of Indonesia. In cooperation with ASEAN member countries, PATA, Australian overnment (AusAID), Australian Federal Police (AFP), Accor, ASEAN Secetariat, UNWTO and ASEANTA Asean Tourism Association, Grey. Supported by Child Wise Organization. more »

Desa Wisata Candirejo
The village of Candirejo is located some 3 k from Borobudur Temple. It is Traditional Javanese village that has been an example of village tourism. more »

The Indonesia Motion Picture Production Directory (downloadable)
A must have for those interested in producing movies or documentaries in Indonesia. Available to download in .pdf format. more »

Indonesia Travel Planner 2006
Published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Indonesia--Travel Planner 2006 is a comprehensive guide to plan your trip to Indonesia. From getting to a destination to what souvenirs or keepsake to keep an eye on, this book will relay it to you. more »

TOURISM AGENDA - INDONESIA

NOVEMBER

Woman Playwright International Conference (WPIC)
Minister and Echelon 1 will be attended in this conference.

World Tourism Market (WTM) London
London, November 10-13, 2008 Excell Docklands London, United Kingdom Email: enquiry(at)reedexpo.co.uk Website: www.wtmlondon.com

ASEAN Culture Committee (ASCC) in Cambodia
Proposal Programmes on Culture in ASEAN (2008-2009)

China International Travel Mart (CITM)
Shanghai, 20 - 23 November 2008

China International Travel Mart (CITM)
Shanghai, 20 - 23 November 2008

DECEMBER

Taipei International Travel Fair, Taiwan
Taipei, December 2008

Arab World Travel and Tourism Exchange (AWTTE)
Beirut, Lebanon, December 2008

Taipei International Travel Fair, Taiwan
Taipei, Desember 2008

Arab World Travel and Tourism Exchange (AWTTE)
Beirut, Lebanaon, Desember 2008

Trail of Hindu Civilization and World Culture Forum 2008
Artists around the world will be attended in Bali.

ARTICLES OF TOURISM

Strategic Sustainable Tourism Development in Indonesia
Roby Ardiwidjaja. Researcher at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia. The quality of the environment is essential for tourism. However, tourism's relationship with many activities has negative environmental effects. On the other hand, tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. more »

Traditonal Cruise and/ or River Cruise: a proposal based on Historical and Cultural Background
Presented by Harry Waluyo. ASEAN Cruise Working Group in Lao PDR, 23 April 2008. Background. Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia are rooted from Austronesia language groups; Viet Nam, Thai, Khmer, Myanmar, Lao are part of Mon-Khmer language groups. Those language groups are rooted from Proto-Austronesia since 5 thousand years ago. more »

Statistic of Culture and Tourism
By Harry Waluyo. This booklet consist of statistic of culture and tourism in year 2007. Published by The Centre of Data Management and Network System, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia. more »

Visitor Arrivals to Indonesia in 2006
Inbound tourist 2006 more »

The Homeland of Sailendra Family
In this opportunity I will present about the Sailendra Dynasty. The evidence from the presence of this dynasty was mentioned in some inscriptions. Around the beginning of the 90s, I was interviewed by the Army Force of Thailand Kingdoms television. The interview was about the existence of the rvijaya in the southern part of Thailand, where a stone inscription known as Ligor Inscription was found. more »

Culture Satellite Account
Summarized by Harry Waluyo. An Approach measuring the economic and social importance of culture. more »

General ICT Overview
Presented by Harry Waluyo (Data and Information Centre) more »

Building Harmonious Relationship Through The Civilization Pathway among Nations in South East Asia
By Bambang Budi Utomo. Nations within the South East Asia regions have developing relationship since the first millennium A.D. Started with trading relationship; it was followed by religion and political relationship among kingdoms, which later created parallelism in the history of the development of South East Asian kingdoms. more »

Cultural Tourism Development: Effort to Indonesia Ultimate Diversity
By Roby Ardiwidjaja. The structure of all human activities drastically altered since the past century, cultural tourism is no exception. Evolving leisure patterns, short vacations, and the development of a massive tourism infrastructure has meant that many people tend to have authenticity experiences in a different culture and learn the similarities and differences of the human condition. more »

Indonesian Culture and Society
Tatang Muttaqin. The history of Indonesia begins with the early Kingdoms (500-1377) and the rise of the Islamic kingdoms (1290-1682). Then, presence of European in 1511 started by Portuguese explorers captured the port of Malacca, erected a fort there and settled in. more »

The Development of Interior Tourism and The Reduction of Poverty: The Case of Java, Indonesia
Transcript of the presentation by I Gde Ardika in University of Toulouse, on March 31, 2006, Toulouse, France. more »

Package Policy to Improve Investment Climate, Announced
Finally, the long awaited Investment Policy package, that was promised to boost investments was announced on 2 March. more »

Bali - Mass Tourism in Developing Countries
An excerpt from Olesja Buchner's essay, a cultural study on Bali by the La Trobe University Melbourne graduate. The essay itself is not available either in this site or the Ministry's archive. You can obtain it by downloading it from an external site (payment required). The Ministry, however, doesn't have any affiliation with the commercial site. We simply endorse this essay in hoping that more essays about Indonesian culture and tourism done by non-Indonesians will pop out in the near future. more »

CULTURE

Definition of Culture
Culture is learned as a child, and as children we each learned from those around us a particular set of rule, beliefs, priorities and expectations that moulded our world into a meaningful whole. more »

The List of Culture Award Year 2007
The list of Culture Award Year 2007 more »

Citra Winner in Indonesia Film Festival, 2007
The list of Citra winner in Indonesia film festival more »

Statistic of World Heritage Place Visitor in Indonesia, 2005 - 2007
Number of Visitor on World Heritage Places in Indonesia , Year 2005 -2007 more »

Statistic of Museum Visitor, 2006-2007
Number of museum visitor in Indonesia more »

Reading Newspaper or Magazine
Resident which age of ten years or above whose reading newspaper or magazine. more »

Growth of Gotong Royong (Principle of Reciprocity)
Perception of gotong royong (principle of reciprocity) nearby environment. more »

Indonesia Senior Artist, 2007
List of Indonesia Senior Artist (Maestro) Almonner Receiver, Year 2007 more »

Cultural Heritage Site, 2007
Number of Cultural Heritage Site & Object, Establishment Preserve& Care Taker/ Preserver by province, Year 2007 more »

Statistic of Indonesia About 10 Yars Old Whose Listen to Radio in the Last one Week, Year 2006
Percentage of Indonesian Whose Listen to Radio more »

Statistic of Library Visitor, 2005-2007
Number of library visitor in Indonesia more »