Mount Merapi, an overlooked potential tourism spot<\/p>\n
By Tarko Sudiarno and Nugroho CH<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): \"When the volcanic activities intensify, it
\ncan be a beautiful sight though a potentially disastrous one.
\nEnjoy the beauty of Mount Merapi but always stay alert.\"<\/p>\n
This advice is written in a brochure about Mount Merapi
\npublished by the Center for a Research on and Development of
\nVolcano-related Technology (BPPTK) in Yogyakarta. It aptly
\nillustrates the condition of this volcano and its potential. On
\nthe one hand, Mount Merapi offers its beauty to savor, especially
\nwhen its volcanic activities intensify, but on the other hand, it
\nmay spell disaster, a reminder that whoever savors its beauty
\nmust remain alert.<\/p>\n
Mount Merapi offers vast potential to tap into local tourism.
\nAt the height of its volcanic activities, it will belch heat
\nclouds and, at night, gush red-hot lava, presenting an amazingly
\nbeautiful spectacle, a sight you wish to see again and again.<\/p>\n
When the activities ebb, the peak of the mountain lures you to
\nvisit it. Anybody successfully scaling the mountain to its summit
\nwill experience indescribable pride. The peak of the mountain can
\nbe approached through the relatively easier northern route (Selo,
\nBoyolali) or from the south (Kinahrejo, Sleman), which is more
\ndifficult.<\/p>\n
If you are not strong enough to climb the mountain, you can
\nstill have a good time simply going around it. Easy-to-cover
\ntrekking lanes are available. Located in the southern sector of
\nthe mountain is the famous, cool tourist resort, Kaliurang. If
\ngolf is your hobby, there is an international-standard golf
\ncourse in Kepuharja village, Cangkringan sub-district. Nearby,
\nthere stand Candi Sari (Sari Temple), once buried under the
\nvolcanic mudflow of the mountain, and the famed Candi Prambanan
\n(Prambanan Temple). These tourist objects are easy to reach on
\nmotorized vehicles or on a bike. On the way you can savor the
\nbeauty of nature and the hospitality of the locals.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the vast potential for tourism that Mount
\nMerapi offers is yet to be tapped and seems to be neglected,
\nparticularly because of the fear of its potential danger. This
\nfear would be unnecessary if there were good communication
\nbetween tour operators and BPPTK as the party technically
\nresponsible for monitoring Merapi's volcanic activities.<\/p>\n
Tour operators have attributed the decrease in the number of
\nvisitors coming to Yogyakarta to BPPTK, which has raised the
\nstatus level of Mount Merapi to \"alert\". There are four status
\nlevels for Merapi: normally active, watchful, alert and red
\nalert.\" After BPPTK made this announcement, the British embassy
\nin Jakarta advised its citizens against visiting Merapi for fear
\nof a volcanic eruption,\" said Nugroho Suprapto, the manager of
\nSri Rama Tour and 1994-97 chairperson of ASITA, Yogyakarta
\nchapter.<\/p>\n
Following intensified volcanic activities at Mount Merapi,
\nBPPTK announced on Jan. 10, 2001 that the status of the volcano
\nhad been raised from \"watchful\" to \"alert\", only one level lower
\nthan the \"red-alert\" status, which warns people against the
\nhighest level of volcanic activities.<\/p>\n
In Nugroho Suprapto's opinion, BPPTK does not quite take into
\naccount the needs of the tourism sector. He said that the
\nintensified volcanic activities of Mount Merapi could have been
\npredicted much earlier. He has learnt from his own experience
\nthat this will always be the case towards the wet season. BPPTK
\nshould actually be able to designate safe areas from which
\ntourists can have their Merapi trips without being disturbed by
\nthe volcano's increased activities.<\/p>\n
\"If BPPTK pays attention to these things, tour operators will
\nbe able to prepare tour packages that they can offer for a
\ncertain period of time. As is the case at present, BPPTK
\nannouncements about the increased volcanic activities of Merapi
\nare always a hurdle to tour operators preparing Merapi tours,\"
\nsaid Nugroho Suprapto.<\/p>\n
Security is most important to tourists, Nugroho said. Merapi
\ntour packages are high-risk and require tour operators to insure
\nthe tourists, especially if they are foreigners. Safe areas or
\npaths that BPPTK can designate will also be very important when
\nthe need arises to evacuate tourists in case of an eruption.<\/p>\n
With many years' experience as a tour operator, Nugroho agreed
\nthat Mount Merapi was a tourist attraction with a vast selling
\npotential. There are quite a lot of foreign tourists keen on
\nvisiting this mountain, particularly Japanese and Europeans.<\/p>\n
He said that only a few tour operators in Yogyakarta actively
\nsell a Merapi tour package. The provincial administration itself,
\nhe said, is yet to be proactive in popularizing Merapi as a
\ntourist attraction. \"Friends of Merapi\", a group set up a few
\nyears ago, has not done much in this respect, either. \"In fact,
\nit is not too late to tap into the vast tourism potential of
\nMerapi. What is urgently needed is a solid public relations team
\ncomprising representatives from various relevant circles,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
No need to fear<\/p>\n
BPPTK Yogyakarta obviously cannot accept allegations that it
\nis a hurdle to Merapi tour promotions. \"Tour operators should be
\nproactive and contact us for information. Unfortunately, they
\nhave never done this. As a matter of fact, we are always pleased
\nto give information,\" said Ratdomopurbo, head of the development
\nsection of the center.<\/p>\n
He is right. As an official institution assigned to monitor
\nMerapi's activities, BPPTK will always announce to the public the
\ndevelopment of the volcano's activities. Any party having an
\ninterest in this volcano should therefore consult this center.<\/p>\n
Purbo, which is how Ratdomopurbo is usually addressed, said
\nthat only airlines regularly consulted BPPTK about the
\ndevelopment of Merapi's activities. If only foreign embassies had
\ncared to contact BPPTK for further information about Merapi's
\nvolcanic activities, the British embassy in Jakarta, for example,
\nwould not have prohibited British citizens to make a trip to
\nMerapi.<\/p>\n
\"There is no need to fear Merapi. It is when its activities
\nintensify that it will be a wonderful spectacle which must be
\nwitnessed. The problem is how to do this safely. It is in this
\ncontext that asking BPPTK for information will be important. If
\nforeign tourists think that they should not get close to Merapi
\nbecause of a major eruption, it is their own misperception, Purbo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Purbo agreed that Mount Merapi and its surrounding area offer
\nvast tourism potential in Yogyakarta Special Region. Ideally, he
\nsaid, there should be a special map indicating safe areas for
\ntourists to visit. In his opinion, it is tour operators that
\nshould have this map made on the basis of the data from BPPTK. He
\nlamented that tour operators and the provincial administration
\nwere not quick enough to seize this opportunity.<\/p>\n
\"We are not supposed to publish brochures on Merapi tours. It
\nis beyond our obligation. We are supposed to ensure that the
\nlocals living in the surrounding areas of Mount Merapi will not
\nfall victim to its volcanic activities. That's why we must
\nregularly announce the development of the volcano's activities.
\nThe status of \"Watch out Merapi\", for example, means that the
\nlocals in areas close to eruption hazards and sand miners working
\nupstream towards the volcano's activities should terminate their
\nactivities. If the volcano eventually erupts, they will not fall
\nvictim,\" Purbo said.<\/p>\n
BPPTK announcements about the volcanic activities of Merapi
\nare also intended to educate the locals, he said. They wi0ll be
\ninformed that danger will be forthcoming from Merapi but need not
\nfear it. \"We would be lying to the public if we did not announce
\nthe development of Merapi's activities while there is a real
\npotential of danger,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Being very close to Merapi, Purbo even dreams of having a
\nMerapi Center, a permanent location from which the public can
\nsafely watch the volcano's activities. This center will have a
\ntelescope to enable visitors to see the top of the mountain and
\nother instruments with which the volcanic activities of Merapi
\ncan be monitored. In short, the center will enable the public to
\nbetter understand volcanic activities.<\/p>\n
\"I will be happy to see Merapi tour packages seriously
\nprepared. BPPTK will be only too pleased to help. The problem is
\nhow tour operators can quickly seize any opportunities arising
\nfrom this natural phenomenon,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Problems will never be settled if one party blames another and
\nvice versa. If all parties agree that the vast tourism potential
\nthat Mount Merapi offers should be tapped to the optimum, then
\nthe main priority will be to bring the two different parties to a
\nmeeting of minds.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mount-merapi-an-overlooked-potential-tourism-spot-1447893297",
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