New minister's daunting task is to lure back visitors<\/p>\n
For more than three decades, the government has been trying in
\nvain to make Indonesia the hottest tourist spot in the region.
\nThwarting its grand ambition is a poor management system,
\ncombined with the lack of a promotional budget and clumsily
\nhandled campaigns. The Jakarta Post's Rita A. Widiadana
\nand Tantri Yuliandini met with new tourism minister
\nI Gede Ardika to find out what he plans to do to tackle the
\ncountry's old and new tourism woes.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The only consistency in the government's tourism
\npolicy over the years has been its conspicuous inability to
\nimplement a focused and coherent one.<\/p>\n
The status of the official tourism office has changed and
\noverlapped with other government sections since it was
\nestablished in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
It was once fused in the Ministry of Tourism, Post and
\nTelecommunications. A few years later, tourism was overviewed by
\nthe Ministry of Tourism and Arts, and then the state minister of
\ntourism and arts.<\/p>\n
In the current Cabinet, tourism is now under the auspices of
\nthe Ministry of Culture and Tourism.<\/p>\n
Implementing each tourism drive depends also on who heads the
\nministry.<\/p>\n
Past tourism ministers came from all walks of life, including
\nhigh-ranking officers in the Army, art lovers and businessmen.
\nUnfortunately, not all of the ministers had a clear vision on how
\nto develop the country's tourism.<\/p>\n
Employees at the ministry have their own jokes about their
\nformer chiefs. One minister was remembered as a businessman who
\nknew very little about tourism and who kept coming late to the
\noffice. He spent most of his term holding business meetings with
\nhis colleagues in his luxurious and spacious office.<\/p>\n
The appointment of career bureaucrat, I Gede Ardika, is
\nexpected to activate the ministry's efforts to boost the
\ncountry's tourism.<\/p>\n
Born in Singaraja, North Bali, in 1945, Ardika has spent most
\nof his career in tourism. He graduated from the Bandung Hotel
\nInstitute in 1964 and continued his graduate studies in hotel
\nmanagement in Glion, Switzerland. Ardika also studied tourism
\nplanning at Bradford University in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
The father of two daughters was director of the Tourism and
\nHotel Institute in Nusa Dua from 1978 to 1985 before joining the
\nMinistry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications in 1986. Between
\n1998 and 2000, he was the director general for tourism.<\/p>\n
Question: How do you feel about being appointed a minister when tourism
\nin the country is in such a dismal condition?<\/p>\n
Answer: It is my fate to hold this position at this critical time. In
\n2001, we will concentrate on restoring Indonesia's tarnished
\nimage in the world. I admit this is a very hard job. We have been
\ntrying to promote Indonesia as safe and secure, but unpredictable
\nincidents occur again and again. The last blow was the sweep for
\nAmerican tourists in Surakarta, in addition to the unrest in East
\nTimor, Maluku and Aceh.<\/p>\n
Q: As a new minister, what are your concepts on tourism?<\/p>\n
A: From the very beginning, Indonesia has had a community-based
\ntourism concept in which people play important roles in any
\ntourism activities.<\/p>\n
We try to build a balanced concept which is in line with our
\nphilosophical ideas and ideology. What I mean with this concept
\nis a balance between individual and community life -- mentally as
\nwell as physically.<\/p>\n
It also means a balance in managing our natural and human
\nresources, in utilizing, managing and preserving them.<\/p>\n
Actually, our ancestors practiced these concepts hundreds of
\nyears ago. It is quite awkward that people in the West are now
\ntrying to teach us about sustainable tourism.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is known as a religious society. Therefore we build
\nour tourism based on our religious beliefs. This means that we
\nare not building tourism which is against our social and moral
\nvalues.<\/p>\n
Other countries may have different concepts and we have to
\nrespect them.<\/p>\n
For sure, we are not going to make gambling a main tourist
\nattraction in order to get money and to lure tourists.<\/p>\n
Q: Could you be more specific?<\/p>\n
A: There will be no more stories that our tourism merely seeks
\nforeign exchange while sacrificing the basic concept.<\/p>\n
Visitors coming to Indonesia are mostly impressed by its
\nwarmhearted people, as well as the natural and cultural richness.<\/p>\n
And therefore, we must focus on involving the community in
\ntourism and convince them they are stakeholders in the industry.
\nMaintenance and preservation of nature and culture are
\nobligatory.<\/p>\n
The development of the tourism infrastructure and supporting
\nfacilities is important but it should benefit the people and not
\nendanger the environment.<\/p>\n
Q: But, in fact, our current tourism policy has yet to reflect
\nsuch an ideal framework. Tourism has so far benefited only
\ncertain people. What is your opinion?<\/p>\n
A: We can objectively portray our current effort in developing
\ntourism which is, unfortunately, not in line with the original
\nconcept.<\/p>\n
Our present tourism policy stresses more on growth that brings
\na trickle-down effect. This means that we focus first on
\naccelerating tourism growth and the rest will follow.<\/p>\n
I can also say that tourism facilities are mostly run by
\nconglomerates. They are the ones who benefit most from the
\nindustry, while the community gains very little or almost nothing
\nat all.<\/p>\n
We want to drastically change the policy by empowering the
\npeople to actively take part in the industry. It is expected that
\ngrowth will increase and at the same time people will also enjoy
\na profitable business.<\/p>\n
Q: How can people gain from tourism?<\/p>\n
A: Tourism has a very significant multiplier effect. In terms of
\nscale and space, tourism can reach the most remote areas.<\/p>\n
Take for example, people living on a faraway island or in an
\nisolated mountainous area. They can still benefit from the
\nindustry through ecotourism programs.<\/p>\n
By developing marine tourism, we can reach remote islands.<\/p>\n
Tourism also has a tremendous impact on the development of
\nother sectors such as agriculture and handicrafts,
\ntransportation, hotels, etc.<\/p>\n
For example, if tourists come, they may need a large quantity
\nof poultry, fruit, meat, fish and other agricultural products.
\nThey also need hotels, transportation and entertainment
\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
If tourism grows well, it can also boost growth in other
\nsectors.<\/p>\n
Tourism embraces entire groups of society, from the lowest of
\nthe middle class to the upper class. It may absorb millions of
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
As a simple illustration, when a large-scale business group
\nbuilds hotels and other facilities, they have to hire people of
\ndifferent education levels. They may need university graduates to
\nfill in managerial positions, but they also require people with a
\nlower level of education to work as room boys.<\/p>\n
To an extreme, people with no educational background can still
\ncontribute to the development of the industry -- take street
\nvendors selling food and handicrafts. They are all the backbones
\nof the industry.<\/p>\n
Tourism could become one of the most viable sectors which
\nsurvives in this time of crisis. We have natural resources and
\nhotels, we don't need to invest more. We are just waiting for
\ntourists to come.<\/p>\n
Q: Would a community-based tourism eliminate the roles of large-
\nscale businesses?<\/p>\n
A: They are still expected to help small-scale businesses run
\ntheir activities. There was an imbalance in business activities
\nin the past in which the industry only involved the big fish.<\/p>\n
They are encouraged to set up mutual partnerships with
\nindividuals or small-scale businesspeople to boost the industry.<\/p>\n
It is not a charitable action but this is a part of the
\nprocess of production which creates mutual benefits for both
\nparties.<\/p>\n
A five-star hotel, for instance, can cooperate with
\ntraditional cakemakers or local food vendors to produce a large
\nvariety of delicious and hygienic traditional food.<\/p>\n
The hotel doesn't have to hire a professional chef with a very
\nhigh salary. It should only train them about hygiene and
\npackaging the food to meet nutritious and aesthetic standards.<\/p>\n
If a hotel can train about 10 local food vendors, how many
\ncommon people can benefit from such programs, and how much money
\ncan the hotel save?<\/p>\n
Large-scale hotels are also able to train owners of motels and
\nyouth hostels to improve their services and facilities.<\/p>\n
We often find local or privately run motels are managed poorly
\nby the owners. Rooms are gloomy and dirty, the food is bad.<\/p>\n
By improving the services of such small-scale hotels or
\nmotels, big hoteliers have made a great contribution to the
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
It is not obligatory for hoteliers or other related tourist
\nbusinesses to do these activities. But the government will
\ninclude the activities as \"plus-points\" during certification. The
\ngovernment is reviewing the classification of hotels in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Q: Are there any crash programs to accelerate tourism?<\/p>\n
A: There are five basic programs to be implemented in the tourism
\nsector. The first priority is a partnership program between
\nlarge-scale and small-scale tourist businesses, marketing,
\npromotion and diversification of tourist products.<\/p>\n
The government also plans to open representative offices in
\nsome major target countries in Japan, the United States and
\nEurope.<\/p>\n
Human resources development becomes very important. We have to
\nprovide international-standard training and evaluation to produce
\na qualified and competent workforce.<\/p>\n
The government will also concentrate on the development of
\nmarine-based tourism. For the time being, tourist products are
\nmostly land-based facilities.<\/p>\n
In the future, we have to base them on marine (activities).
\nIndonesia is geographically a maritime country with rich marine
\nresources.<\/p>\n
Historically, Indonesians were shaped as \"land people\" instead
\nof a seafaring nation. It was part of a strategy launched by the
\ncolonial government to prevent people on the islands from
\ncommunicating with each other.<\/p>\n
Q: As the government only has a meager budget for tourism
\npromotion, how can it be effective?<\/p>\n
A: The government must work together with the private sector.
\nPromotional efforts must be carried out by all elements involved
\nin tourism.<\/p>\n
Each element has its own job. The government's main duty is to
\ndo destination and image promotions in foreign countries, and we
\ndon't sell certain hotels like the Hilton or Hyatt.<\/p>\n
What is most important for the government is to create an
\nimage that Indonesia is a nice and appealing place to visit.<\/p>\n
The private sector can promote their specific products but
\nboth the government and the private sector must coordinate to
\neffectively do promotion campaigns.<\/p>\n
Due to a limited budget, the government can only invite a
\nsmall number of foreign tour operators to visit Indonesia and to
\nsee what is really happening here. The frequent news coverage on
\nIndonesia by foreign media is sometimes exaggerated.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is a large country. Strife-torn areas are far from
\nthe capital city of Jakarta and other popular tourist
\ndestinations like Bali.<\/p>\n
In line with the government's plan to implement regional
\nautonomy in every sector, including tourism, provincial and
\nregional administrations have the right to promote their
\nrespective tourist attractions using regional budgets.<\/p>\n
Q: What kind of tourism is in the frame of regional autonomy?<\/p>\n
A: Basically, the implementation of regional autonomy is a
\nmanifestation of democracy in which people in every respective
\narea have the right to express their aspirations and to determine
\ntheir own lives.<\/p>\n
The central government will hand over its authority to
\nregional and provincial administrations including the issuance of
\nlicenses for the operation of tourist businesses, technical and
\nconsultation guidance, monitoring and enforcement of laws.<\/p>\n
The division of revenue between the central and regional
\ngovernments will be regulated by law.<\/p>\n
The law also mentions that natural tourist attractions on
\nland, sea and in other places will belong to the regional
\nauthority. The development of tourist attractions will be managed
\nby both provincial and regional administrations.<\/p>\n
This also includes promotional activities. Each regency is now
\nable to determine its major tourist attractions and to decide its
\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
Physically, according to the law, all tourist attractions are
\ncontrolled by the regional administration. A tourist resort,
\nwhich is located in more than one regency, will be controlled by
\na provincial government.<\/p>\n
Q: Are local governments ready to receive this huge
\nresponsibility and authority?<\/p>\n
A: Everyone always asks this question. In my opinion, we can no
\nlonger delay the transfer of authority. We used to postpone
\nautonomy because we were afraid that regional governments and
\nrelated agencies were not ready. If we keep on asking ourselves
\nwhether we are ready or not, the answer will be no.<\/p>\n
It is true that some of my colleagues in regional areas are
\nnot well-prepared. Our main priority in 2001 is to upgrade human
\nresources at the regional level. But because of a lack of funds,
\nwe will first focus on provinces which have a robust tourism.<\/p>\n
We also have to precisely identify the possible problems that
\nmight appear during the implementation of regional autonomy.<\/p>\n
Q: How do you see the outlook for tourism in 2001?<\/p>\n
A: I really hope we can gradually solve our national problems --
\neconomic, social and political, as well as the security issue.<\/p>\n
We cannot attract visitors if the condition in our country is
\nstill in chaos. All parties are required to show their strong
\ncommitment to create a safe and attractive Indonesia.<\/p>",
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