A matter of hygiene

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