Earthquake, tsunami ruin W. Sumatra's tourist industry

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang

Hotel and travel operators in West Sumatra have suffered large losses following the tsunami in Aceh and the earthquake in Nias.

The operators say the natural disasters have scared away tourists from West Sumatra.

"Many groups of foreign tourists have canceled their visits following the earthquake and tsunami disasters. This has been a huge loss for us," said Asnawi Bahar, the head of the West Sumatra branch of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents, on Sunday night. There are at least 200 tour and travel operators in West Sumatra.

Hotel occupancy rates in West Sumatra have tumbled since a major earthquake struck Nias and its surrounding islands on March 28. Before the earthquake, most West Sumatra hotels were close to fully booked during the weekends. Since the magnitude 8.7 quake, many hotel rooms have been empty.

The Bumiminang Hotel in Padang, for example, has claimed losses of Rp 189 million (US$21,000) since the earthquake. The hotel's general manager, A. Rizal, said the Bumiminang, which has 160 rooms, had seen its occupancy rate fall since March 28.

The four-star Novotel Hotel in Bukittinggi has also suffered losses. Masri, the hotel's general manager, said the hotel had lost Rp 800 million in potential revenues over the past several weeks.

"We should have booked revenue of Rp 1.2 billion, but because of the natural disaster we only earned Rp 400 million in the past few weeks," said Masri.

The situation is even worse for hotels and tourist resorts located in coastal areas, which have been virtually empty since the tsunami that struck Aceh and North Sumatra on Dec. 26 last year.

The head of West Sumatra's tourism office, Yulrizal Baharin, confirmed the situation. "West Sumatra lost Rp 213 billion in potential revenue in the first quarter this year between January and March."

In response to these troubles, the West Sumatra administration will take steps to promote the tourist industry in the area, including kicking off a tourism campaign in June called Visit Minangkabau Year. The provincial government will also inaugurate Minangkabau International Airport in June.