Mount Merapi, an overlooked potential tourism spot

By Tarko Sudiarno and Nugroho CH

YOGYAKARTA (JP): "When the volcanic activities intensify, it can be a beautiful sight though a potentially disastrous one. Enjoy the beauty of Mount Merapi but always stay alert."

This advice is written in a brochure about Mount Merapi published by the Center for a Research on and Development of Volcano-related Technology (BPPTK) in Yogyakarta. It aptly illustrates the condition of this volcano and its potential. On the one hand, Mount Merapi offers its beauty to savor, especially when its volcanic activities intensify, but on the other hand, it may spell disaster, a reminder that whoever savors its beauty must remain alert.

Mount Merapi offers vast potential to tap into local tourism. At the height of its volcanic activities, it will belch heat clouds and, at night, gush red-hot lava, presenting an amazingly beautiful spectacle, a sight you wish to see again and again.

When the activities ebb, the peak of the mountain lures you to visit it. Anybody successfully scaling the mountain to its summit will experience indescribable pride. The peak of the mountain can be approached through the relatively easier northern route (Selo, Boyolali) or from the south (Kinahrejo, Sleman), which is more difficult.

If you are not strong enough to climb the mountain, you can still have a good time simply going around it. Easy-to-cover trekking lanes are available. Located in the southern sector of the mountain is the famous, cool tourist resort, Kaliurang. If golf is your hobby, there is an international-standard golf course in Kepuharja village, Cangkringan sub-district. Nearby, there stand Candi Sari (Sari Temple), once buried under the volcanic mudflow of the mountain, and the famed Candi Prambanan (Prambanan Temple). These tourist objects are easy to reach on motorized vehicles or on a bike. On the way you can savor the beauty of nature and the hospitality of the locals.

Unfortunately, the vast potential for tourism that Mount Merapi offers is yet to be tapped and seems to be neglected, particularly because of the fear of its potential danger. This fear would be unnecessary if there were good communication between tour operators and BPPTK as the party technically responsible for monitoring Merapi's volcanic activities.

Tour operators have attributed the decrease in the number of visitors coming to Yogyakarta to BPPTK, which has raised the status level of Mount Merapi to "alert". There are four status levels for Merapi: normally active, watchful, alert and red alert." After BPPTK made this announcement, the British embassy in Jakarta advised its citizens against visiting Merapi for fear of a volcanic eruption," said Nugroho Suprapto, the manager of Sri Rama Tour and 1994-97 chairperson of ASITA, Yogyakarta chapter.

Following intensified volcanic activities at Mount Merapi, BPPTK announced on Jan. 10, 2001 that the status of the volcano had been raised from "watchful" to "alert", only one level lower than the "red-alert" status, which warns people against the highest level of volcanic activities.

In Nugroho Suprapto's opinion, BPPTK does not quite take into account the needs of the tourism sector. He said that the intensified volcanic activities of Mount Merapi could have been predicted much earlier. He has learnt from his own experience that this will always be the case towards the wet season. BPPTK should actually be able to designate safe areas from which tourists can have their Merapi trips without being disturbed by the volcano's increased activities.

"If BPPTK pays attention to these things, tour operators will be able to prepare tour packages that they can offer for a certain period of time. As is the case at present, BPPTK announcements about the increased volcanic activities of Merapi are always a hurdle to tour operators preparing Merapi tours," said Nugroho Suprapto.

Security is most important to tourists, Nugroho said. Merapi tour packages are high-risk and require tour operators to insure the tourists, especially if they are foreigners. Safe areas or paths that BPPTK can designate will also be very important when the need arises to evacuate tourists in case of an eruption.

With many years' experience as a tour operator, Nugroho agreed that Mount Merapi was a tourist attraction with a vast selling potential. There are quite a lot of foreign tourists keen on visiting this mountain, particularly Japanese and Europeans.

He said that only a few tour operators in Yogyakarta actively sell a Merapi tour package. The provincial administration itself, he said, is yet to be proactive in popularizing Merapi as a tourist attraction. "Friends of Merapi", a group set up a few years ago, has not done much in this respect, either. "In fact, it is not too late to tap into the vast tourism potential of Merapi. What is urgently needed is a solid public relations team comprising representatives from various relevant circles," he said.

No need to fear

BPPTK Yogyakarta obviously cannot accept allegations that it is a hurdle to Merapi tour promotions. "Tour operators should be proactive and contact us for information. Unfortunately, they have never done this. As a matter of fact, we are always pleased to give information," said Ratdomopurbo, head of the development section of the center.

He is right. As an official institution assigned to monitor Merapi's activities, BPPTK will always announce to the public the development of the volcano's activities. Any party having an interest in this volcano should therefore consult this center.

Purbo, which is how Ratdomopurbo is usually addressed, said that only airlines regularly consulted BPPTK about the development of Merapi's activities. If only foreign embassies had cared to contact BPPTK for further information about Merapi's volcanic activities, the British embassy in Jakarta, for example, would not have prohibited British citizens to make a trip to Merapi.

"There is no need to fear Merapi. It is when its activities intensify that it will be a wonderful spectacle which must be witnessed. The problem is how to do this safely. It is in this context that asking BPPTK for information will be important. If foreign tourists think that they should not get close to Merapi because of a major eruption, it is their own misperception, Purbo said.

Purbo agreed that Mount Merapi and its surrounding area offer vast tourism potential in Yogyakarta Special Region. Ideally, he said, there should be a special map indicating safe areas for tourists to visit. In his opinion, it is tour operators that should have this map made on the basis of the data from BPPTK. He lamented that tour operators and the provincial administration were not quick enough to seize this opportunity.

"We are not supposed to publish brochures on Merapi tours. It is beyond our obligation. We are supposed to ensure that the locals living in the surrounding areas of Mount Merapi will not fall victim to its volcanic activities. That's why we must regularly announce the development of the volcano's activities. The status of "Watch out Merapi", for example, means that the locals in areas close to eruption hazards and sand miners working upstream towards the volcano's activities should terminate their activities. If the volcano eventually erupts, they will not fall victim," Purbo said.

BPPTK announcements about the volcanic activities of Merapi are also intended to educate the locals, he said. They wi0ll be informed that danger will be forthcoming from Merapi but need not fear it. "We would be lying to the public if we did not announce the development of Merapi's activities while there is a real potential of danger," he said.

Being very close to Merapi, Purbo even dreams of having a Merapi Center, a permanent location from which the public can safely watch the volcano's activities. This center will have a telescope to enable visitors to see the top of the mountain and other instruments with which the volcanic activities of Merapi can be monitored. In short, the center will enable the public to better understand volcanic activities.

"I will be happy to see Merapi tour packages seriously prepared. BPPTK will be only too pleased to help. The problem is how tour operators can quickly seize any opportunities arising from this natural phenomenon," he said.

Problems will never be settled if one party blames another and vice versa. If all parties agree that the vast tourism potential that Mount Merapi offers should be tapped to the optimum, then the main priority will be to bring the two different parties to a meeting of minds.