Can Bandung be a trip down memory lane?<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Far removed from the crowded tourist haunts of
\nBali and Jakarta, the provincial capital of West Java attracts
\nits own unique type of tourists.<\/p>\n
It's not what is sparkling and new about Indonesia that draws
\nthem to the city cradled in a ring of mountains, but rather the
\nhistorical legacy which lives on along Bandung's streets.<\/p>\n
For Dutch visitors, whose forefathers once ran tea plantations
\nin the fertile hills of West Java and made Bandung a military
\nstronghold to crush insurrections in the rest of the island, it's
\na chance to take a trip down memory lane.<\/p>\n
\"I often meet people whose grandparents once lived here and
\nthey've come here because of that,\" said operations manager of
\nthe Bandung Society for Heritage Conservation Andi Abubakar.<\/p>\n
\"Only recently there was a Dutchman who stopped by whose
\ngrandfather had been a postman here. He asked me to accompany him
\nto see where the old post office used to be.\"<\/p>\n
Tourists take in the sights, from the jaded elegance of the
\nSavoy Homann on Jl. Asia-Afrika, itself occupying a prominent
\nplace in history as the site of the 1955 Asia-Africa conference
\nof developing nations, to the nearby boulevard Jl. Braga, once
\nthe bustling hub of Dutch social and commercial activities.<\/p>\n
Many remnants of \"tropical art deco\" architecture, unique to
\nBandung and Miami in Florida, have escaped the wrecker's ball,
\nthanks in large part to the efforts of the historical society.
\nOther cultural influences also exist in the city's architecture,
\nsaid Bandung Institute of Technology professor Dibyo Hartono.<\/p>\n
\"It's not only western, but also the Chinese, Hindu and
\nIslamic aspects which preceded the Dutch,\" said Dibyo, one of the
\nfounders of the historical society.<\/p>\n
\"The architecture is part of our identity and that is why we
\nneed to preserve it. If it's gone, what is there to show that we
\nwere once colonized?\"<\/p>\n
Andi said the potential was \"very high\" to exploit Bandung's
\nhistorical value to bring in more tourists -- and it was also one
\nof the ways to win over the public to the need to preserve old
\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
\"One of the things we are doing is increasing public awareness
\nabout the culture and architecture,\" he said. \"When people and
\nthe local government realize the economic potential for them,
\nthen they will act to save them.\"<\/p>\n
\"A few years ago there were a lot of tourists, especially
\nEuropeans, who came to Bandung, but not anymore,\" said Anjar,
\nformer marketing manager at the Savoy Homann and now the director
\nof personnel.<\/p>\n
\"We still have some tourists, mostly from the Netherlands and
\nEngland, who come here just to see the architecture, or are
\nstaying at another hotel but stop by to have a meal.\"<\/p>\n
She said the hotel, whose famous guests included Charlie
\nChaplin and Mary Pickford in the 1920s and 1930s, was not
\nfocusing as much on \"nostalgia tourism\" and looking instead to
\nthe market of domestic business travelers.<\/p>\n
\"We have many Indonesian businessmen staying with us today.
\nThe problem is that Bandung has never had any riots, but it
\ndoesn't stand alone. It's always connected to what is happening
\nin Jakarta and other cities.\"<\/p>\n
Andi hoped the local government would recognize the potential
\nto be gained from the promotion of historical sites to
\ninternational and domestic tourists.<\/p>\n
He recognized that the bid to preserve historical legacies
\noften put proponents at odds with those advocating rapid
\ndevelopment. It then becomes a matter of finding a middle ground,
\nwhere the concerns of both preservationists and businesses are
\naccommodated.<\/p>\n
He added that the society often played the business card in
\nits dealing with the local administration on preserving old
\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot separate our activities from business and tourism.
\nWe need to educate them about the huge potential there is for
\nthis sector.\"<\/p>\n
Up to now the historical society has found that the most
\neffective way to save a building set to be condemned was to send
\na letter to the editor of the local paper. \"It leaves the local
\nadministration frantic when they read them,\" Andi said.<\/p>\n
In the future, however, if the plans to make nostalgia tourism
\nbig business are realized, then the public itself may become
\naware of the economic cost of demolishing one of the gems of
\nyesteryear. The value of a site is that much greater when people
\nrecognize that it is one of the attractions which draws visitors
\nto their area, supporting a whole range of businesses, from
\nhotels to restaurants and transportation.<\/p>\n
The historical society, founded in 1987 by a group of
\nconcerned local citizens such as Dibyo and astronomer Bambang
\nHidayat, plans exhibitions and other cultural events on
\npreservation issues. It also produces a newsletter detailing its
\nactivities, which are funded by donations.<\/p>\n
Nostalgia tours<\/p>\n
The historical society has also worked with corporate sponsors
\nsuch as American Express to promote nostalgia tours of the city.<\/p>\n
The efforts include producing a booklet on city tours,
\nexploring such areas as the central business and garden
\ndistricts. There is also a walking tour brochure for \"Bandung
\nLautan Api\", identifying major sites around the city which were
\nspared when the city's residents set fire to their homes and
\nbelongings in 1946 in an attempt to stop the return of the Dutch.<\/p>\n
Andi said much more was needed to be done.<\/p>\n
\"We are nowhere near the point of optimally maximizing our
\nhistorical sites for tourism. Our infrastructure, such as guides,
\nis still very poor.\"<\/p>\n
He added that local travel agencies had yet to put together
\ntourist packages focusing on the historical treasures of the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, there is the potential for more walking tours, but
\nthere are problems. We have good weather, but some of the
\nsidewalks are in a bad state. And the buildings are either in
\nprivate or government hands, which often means that people have
\nto get permission before they can take a look inside.\"<\/p>\n
A local travel agent said nostalgia tours would not be
\nsuccessful if packaged alone.<\/p>\n
\"The way I see it is that the number (of nostalgia tourists)
\nget smaller every day ... but, yes, a tour of architectural would
\nprobably work if packaged with attractive dances, music and
\ncultural aspects in one,\" said Golden Rama Bandung branch manager
\nAnton Handoyo, whose office is located on the famed Jl. Braga.<\/p>\n
He planned to visit Bali in late November to try to sell such
\ncultural packages directly to tourists upon their arrival at the
\nairport.<\/p>\n
Andi said it was up to all parties -- the local government,
\nthe public, non-governmental organizations and the business
\ncommunity -- to work together in promoting the sector.<\/p>\n
\"Obviously, we cannot go it alone in this. Our tactic is to
\nwork on the economic potential first, and then translate it to
\nthe building. And we cannot attack the local government, but must
\nwork alongside it for our goals.\"<\/p>\n
He also expected that historic sites would one day be a
\nholiday attraction for a new generation of local tourists.<\/p>\n
\"For my generation, there is not the bitter feelings about
\nsome of the colonial buildings. They might have been planned by
\nthe Dutch, but the buildings were built by my ancestors.\" (brc)<\/p>",
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