A matter of hygiene

Recently, on a morning television program a representative from the tourist sector spoke of tourism in Indonesia being the third highest foreign exchange earner. However, he expressed his concern that while all efforts were being made to increase the efficiency of this particular sector, it must not be forgotten that European tourists are inclined to sue travel agents if their promotional brochures do not match their expectations. For example, a brochure may talk of white clean sandy beaches with crystal clear seawater, but in reality the tourist may arrive only to find that the beach is littered with garbage and the seawater is heavily polluted.

An expatriate in my former office, who traveled extensively in the islands outside of Java, where beaches and seawater are a paradise for scuba divers, told me that the locals living in the vicinity of the beach do not bother to build toilets. They relieve themselves under the trees on the beach. The average Asian tourist just grumbles and does not complain publicly about this unhealthy habit. However, Western tourists react differently, as we often read in local papers. If they feel disgusted they will speak up.

I think it is high time the Jakarta administration and other large city authorities built public toilets in strategic places. Apart from being good for the city in general it would also promote tourism. In addition, the local people will be seen to have a proper sense of hygiene. In Europe they have built public toilets for the public's convenience and for the sake of hygiene.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta