Southern Bandung embarks on promotion of `hidden treasures'

Southern Bandung embarks on promotion of `hidden treasures'

This is the first of two stories on tourism in southern
Bandung Regency. The second story will appear tomorrow in the
first Sunday edition of The Jakarta Post.

By Rita A. Widiadana

BANDUNG (JP): God smiled when He created Sunda.

This praise extolling the beauty of West Java came from the
late M.A.W. Brouwer, a Roman Catholic priest and a well-known
newspaper columnist. To the day he died on Aug. 19 1991, Brouwer
remained faithful in his love for West Java and more specifically
its capital city, Bandung, where he spent nearly 30 years of his
life.

Father Brouwer died in the small town of Weert in the southern
part of the Netherlands, the land of his birth, unable to spend
his remaining days in his beloved Bandung as he had wished.

Brouwer was not exaggerating when he wrote in one of his
articles that "God smiled when He created Sunda", and he was not
alone in his admiration of this city and its people.

But what makes Bandung so special? The city lacks the
attractions of Yogyakarta, with its famous court, rich culture
and ancient traditions. And Bandung does not have Bali's all-
pervasive artistry or bewitching religious and traditional
ceremonies.

Even the grace of its women, famed among Indonesians, could be
lost on the traveler in a hurry. Yet, Bandung is often likened to
a pretty maiden, adorned with jewels, standing in repose amidst
lovely surroundings.

To the north of the city are the popular mountain resorts of
Lembang and Maribaya, with their cool air and hot springs.
Further to the north and another several hundred meters higher
into the clouds is Tangkuban Perahu, the active volcano shaped
like an overturned boat, whose boiling crater is the only one in
Java where cars can go right up to the rim.

The city itself is attractive in its own right. It was once
known as the "Paris of Java" for its colonial charm and city
planning which matched its natural surroundings to perfection.
Today, Bandung is also home to many historic buildings, including
the Asia-Africa building where the first Afro-Asia Conference was
held in 1955.

In contrast to the long-standing popularity of its northern
parts, not much attention has been paid to the attractions south
of Bandung. Although it may not be able to compete with its
northern counterparts in terms of tourist facilities, southern
Bandung Regency is a pleasant surprise.

When it comes to natural beauty, southern Bandung has plenty
to offer even though its attractions may not be readily apparent.
Situ (lake) Patengan, Situ Pangalengan, the Kawah Putih crater,
tea plantations and more than 1,000 hectares of tropical forests,
home to thousands of rare plants and animals, are the main
attractions.

Aside from natural beauty, they offer something that Lembang,
Maribaya and Tangkuban Perahu can no longer offer during the
weekend: peacefulness.

Slow

The question remains, though, to what extent is southern
Bandung Regency a desirable holiday spot for local as well as
international visitors.

In contrast to the rapid development in the northern part of
the city, southern Bandung's tourism industry is growing at a
very slow pace.

Nana Suhanda, head of the West Java Tourism Office, told The
Jakarta Post that poor infrastructure and inadequate information
have made vacation spots in the area relatively unknown to
holiday makers.

"What we should do is promote the strong points of each
destination without killing each other's attractions," he said.

Admitting that so far efforts have stressed promoting the
northern recreational areas, he said it's high time to lure
visitors to southern Bandung.

Surachman, from the Bandung Tourism Authority, told the Post
that more effort is needed to improve all the tourism
infrastructure, such as transportation and communication as well
as accommodation.

These, he said, involve the Bandung Regency administration,
the state forestry company Perum Perhutani, the state plantation
company PT Perkebunan XII and the private sector, including
hoteliers and restaurant owners.

Most holiday spots in the southern part of Bandung Regency are
forest recreation and preservation areas or tea plantations.
Therefore, the holiday spots are managed jointly by the various
state companies.

The Kawah Putih crater and the Ranca Upas Forest Recreation
areas, for example, are managed by the Perum Perhutani state
forestry company. The state run PT Perkebunan XII, which manages
commercial crop estates, organizes agro-tourism activities at
Rancabali and Malabar tea plantations, while Situ Patengan is
jointly managed by the PAPH nature and wildlife conservation
agency and the city administration as well as PT Perkebunan XII.

Potential

Though these recreational spots are managed by big companies,
the potential for tourism has yet to be developed.

Data from the Bandung Tourism Authority shows that in l993 the
number of international visitors to southern Bandung's holiday
sites reached only 138,749, while the number of local visitors
was only one million.

The Bandung Regency collected Rp 202.5 million from tourism
last year. It hopes to see a 20 percent increase in both the
number of visitors and annual income from this industry.

"By actively promoting the tourist sites in the area, we
expect to meet that target," he said.

At present, information on tourist destinations in southern
Bandung is available only on small leaflets which may be hard to
find in hotels, travel agencies and other tourist information
centers, he said.

Along with the related tourism agencies, the administration
will soon release a special tourist guide book on southern
Bandung's tourist attractions. The authority is also putting more
highlights on the region's tourism map.

He went on to say that a large tourist information center will
be built on the present site of the Ciwidey bus station.

The bus station is going to be moved to another location to
accommodate larger public transportation vehicles.

Surachman added that the inadequate transportation system is
also a serious problem that has prevented visitors from coming to
the area.

Currently, there are only a limited number of buses or
minibuses serving the routes from Ciwidey to recreation spots
such as Situ Patengan and the Kawah Putih crater.

Traffic jams

Traffic jams from downtown Bandung to Ciwidey will soon be
alleviated by a new system of highways, he said.

"The provincial administration has finally been convinced to
overcome the lingering traffic problems on roads linking Bandung
and the tourist sites in Ciwidey and Banjaran areas," he
explained.

Surachman said, however, that it will require huge amounts of
money to implement the plan. The government only allocated Rp 100
million ($50,000) for Bandung tourism in l994.

To cope with financial difficulties, the government has
invited the private sector to take part in the development of the
tourist facilities.

A number of hoteliers have already responded.

The Sindang Reret group, for instance, plans to develop a
resort facility including hotel, motel and restaurants adjacent
to the area's tourist spots.

Today, only three unrated hotels and a number of small motels
and villas are operating in southern Bandung compared to more
than 10 newly constructed rated hotels in the northern part of
the city.

Hermawan, chairman of the West Java's branch of the Indonesian
Hotel and Restaurant Association, said that southern Bandung has
the potential to be developed as profitable tourist spot.

"Many investors have their eye on the potential tourist sites
in this area," he said.

The provincial administration is also undertaking several
measures to promote tourism in the area. Businessmen, for
example, will benefit from the easing of licensing procedures.

Awareness

Because the future of southern Bandung as a tourist
destination seems imminent a number of environmental groups have
expressed their concern over the planned development projects.

Indro Cahyono of SKEPHI, the Indonesian NGO network for forest
conservation, told the Post environmental protection should be
made a priority as the region prepares for more tourist arrivals.

"Although serious campaigns are currently underway to promote
tourism in this part of the province, environmental awareness
must also be a priority," Cahyono said.

The southern Bandung region, which boasts both recreation and
conservation forests as well as tea plantations, functions as an
important water catchment area for the city of Bandung.

Only 629 hectares of green area are left in the city, or four
percent of the total city area of 17,000 hectares. This has
affected the city's climate and water reserves. Ideally, with its
population of more than three million, Bandung should maintain
ten percent of its area for open and green spaces, he said.

According to Cahyono the development of the forest recreation
sites in southern Bandung would also negatively influence the
city's environment.

"It will take time for the business sector to realize their
importance and to actively care for the environment. The business
sector, however, should learn to foresee the possible dangers if
we ignore forest protection," he added.

The development of forest recreation sites may have a negative
impact on the forests, especially primary forests.

Deforestation, water and air pollution, and decreasing numbers
of a forest's genetic resources are among the serious problems
that usually result from such development, he said.

Cahyono said that the management of most forest recreation
sites is poor at present. There are no clear and strict
regulations governing these sites.

He suggested that the government and related business sectors
implement comprehensive feasibility studies, including an
appropriate environmental impact assessment, before starting any
such projects.

"We should not exploit our natural resources and cultural
heritage for the sake of the economy. Our first duty is to
preserve these options in order to develop a sustainable tourism
industry in this country," he said.