Tourists dodge nuisances at Borobudur Temple<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The government may have transformed the
\nBorobudur Temple complex in Central Java into a tourism park, but
\nother problems which intrude on visitors' comfort have arisen.<\/p>\n
Take for instance a beggar who follows two foreign tourists
\nfrom the parking area to the ticket windows. \"Give me some alms,
\nhave pity on me,\" the beggar repeatedly entreats the visitors
\nwhile holding out his hand. One of the tourists, possibly wanting
\nto get rid of the nuisance, drops Rp 100 in the beggar's hand.<\/p>\n
But it does not mean the annoyances will stop. On the way to
\nthe ticket windows a group of hawkers and umbrella renters waylay
\nthe visitors. They walk in step with the tourists and praise
\ntheir souvenirs.<\/p>\n
\"It is cheap, mister, only Rp 10,000,\" they say in broken
\nEnglish.<\/p>\n
The tourists show no interest in the offers, but the hawkers
\nsurround the hapless tourists like ants on the sugar trail.<\/p>\n
Tourists may feel relieved once they have passed ticket
\ncontrol. But wait. A bevy of photographers operating within the
\ntemple complex offer instant photographs simultaneously. Later
\non, the tormented tourists continue their plight after the
\nexhausting climb of the temple steps. They are welcomed again by
\nhawkers who have not given up offering their wares. The hawkers
\ndo not hesitate to chase any tourist who tries to circumvent
\nthem.<\/p>\n
\"We are at odds to bring order to these activities,\" said
\nYuwono Sri Suwito, director of operations and development of PT
\nTaman Wisata Candi Borobudur-Prambanan-Ratu Boko, a state-owned
\ncompany managing the Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko temples.<\/p>\n
Suwito said the hawkers were a dilemma. The organizers wish to
\noffer an opportunity to local inhabitants to benefit from the
\nvisitors to the temple, but the rules and regulations they have
\nmade for the hawkers are not respected. The disorder disturbs the
\ntourists' enjoyment.<\/p>\n
The number of hawkers has alarmingly grown to at least 600
\nroaming the grounds around the Borobudur Temple. \"They destroy
\nthe fences to enter the grounds to avoid detection by security,\"
\nSuwito said.<\/p>\n
The number of official kiosks within the complex, used as
\nsouvenir shops and eating stalls, has already increased from 80
\nto 120. \"The regional government should immediately take steps.
\nIt should not only have financial considerations,\" said Suwito.<\/p>\n
PT Taman Wisata, a state-owned company within the ministry of
\ntourism, post and telecommunications which, managed the temple
\nsince July 15, 1980. The company has equipped the Borobudur
\nTemple with a Borobudur study center, an archeology museum, an
\naudiovisual center, a hotel, a children's' playground and
\nsouvenir shops.<\/p>\n
Researchers can make use of scientific data at the study
\ncenter, visitors can obtain information on the Borobudur Temple
\nat the audiovisual facility located east of the temple. PT Taman
\nWisata also plans to build the Borobudur Multimedia Show Program
\ntheater with the help of French technicians. The entertainment
\nfacility is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and resembles
\nthe Superdome in Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n
The objective of these supporting facilities is not only
\ntourism. This aims at diverting visitors from the temple,
\nalleviating the overcrowding of the temple grounds. The number of
\nforeign tourists visiting Borobudur shows an upward trend. At the
\nend of 1996 there were 3.3 million tourists, 6,200 people daily
\non average, who visited the 85-hectare complex. They paid Rp
\n1,500 entrance fee each.<\/p>\n
According to Suwito, it is feared the crowds of people on the
\ntemple may alter the position of temple stones.<\/p>\n
The Borobudur Temple management has reaped profits which have
\nincreased annually, following an initial investment of Rp 80
\nbillion from the government and the Overseas Economic Corporation
\nFund (OECF) of Japan. The management recorded a Rp 428 million
\nprofit in 1993, which increased to Rp 1.485 billion two years
\nlater. In 1996, the management recorded a Rp 4.548 billion
\nprofit.<\/p>\n
The Borobudur Temple is presumed to have been built during the
\nSailendra era in 800 A.D.. Its name is derived from byara
\n(temple) and beduhur (hill) in Sanskrit. In accordance with its
\nname, Borobudur was built on a hill with two million andesite
\nstones. The stones in the form of cubes are estimated to have
\nbeen taken from the slopes of Mount Merapi located east of the
\ntemple.<\/p>\n
When the temple was rediscovered in the Dutch colonial times
\nit was heavily damaged by natural elements. Dutch archeologist
\nTheodorus van Erp started renovations in 1907 and finished it in
\n1911. This work was still not at its perfect stage. Renovations
\non a larger scale could only be done 60 years later in 1973 with
\nthe use of high technology funded by the state budget and UNESCO.
\nThis work took 10 years. This renovation is estimated to conserve
\nthe Borobudur Temple for 1,000 years on the assumption there are
\nno natural disasters.<\/p>\n
The management's concern is the visitors' level of
\nappreciation, which is still limited to a short stopover. Many
\norganized package deals for foreign tourists usually only reserve
\none hour for a temple visit. \"The tourists only listen to a short
\nexplanation by a guide and take photographs. That is all,\" said
\nSuwito.<\/p>",
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