Experts urge government to involve locals<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Tourism experts and executives of tourism-
\nrelated businesses called on the new government on Wednesday to
\ninvolve local communities in developing the country's tourism.<\/p>\n
Koesnady Hardjasoemantri, a lecturer at the Yogyakarta-based
\nGadjahmada University, said the government should, for example,
\ninvolve the local communities to draft a policy to develop the
\nlocal tourism potential.<\/p>\n
"Such involvement is needed so that communities will
\nunderstand what they have to do to support tourism development
\nefforts," he told a tourism workshop.<\/p>\n
More importantly, Koesnady said, the new government should be
\nmore open about its tourism plans in order to avoid suspicion
\nfrom local residents.<\/p>\n
Members of the People's Consultative Assembly will elect a new
\npresident on Oct. 20 to pave the way for the establishment of a
\nnew government.<\/p>\n
The current government often ignores the local residents'
\nrights to develop tourism and farmers are often forced to sell
\ntheir land at low prices to developers of hotels and other
\nrecreation facilities.<\/p>\n
"In the future, the government should promote the use of a
\nprofit-sharing mechanism in tourism," he said. "Owners of land
\nused for hotels or other tourist facilities should be, for
\nexample, entitled to a part of the shares of companies involved."<\/p>\n
Feisol Hashim, the vice president of the Indonesian Hotel and
\nRestaurant Association (PHRI), also said the new government
\nshould put more emphasis on the development of tourism.<\/p>\n
"We need a conceptual plan to lead the industry," he said,
\nadding that the government should allocate a larger budget to
\nfinance tourism campaigns and to fund human resources
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Tourism was shattered when the country faced the economic
\ncrisis in 1997 with various conflicts and scandals breaking out
\nsince May 1998.<\/p>\n
Foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia this year are projected
\nto reach between 3.9 million and 4.4 million, an increase from
\nthe 3.5 million arrivals recorded in 1998, which was a 30 percent
\ndrop from 5.1 million in the previous year.<\/p>\n
In the first two months of 1999, foreign tourist arrivals
\nincreased by 2.9 percent to 602,630 from 585,714 in the same
\nperiod the year before. Foreign exchange receipts during that
\nperiod rose slightly to US$606.2 million from $594.4 million.<\/p>\n
Said Umar Husin, a member of the association, said at the same
\nforum that tourism deserved to get better attention from the
\ngovernment because the sector was the most potential industry to
\nhelp the country cope with its unemployment problem. (06)<\/p>",
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