Tourism package promoted for senior citizens
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta chapter of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication is striving to promote a special tourism package designed mainly for elderly citizens and foreigners.
"We are offering a special package for both domestic and foreign senior citizens since their physical condition and attitude create a new tourism market," said Pudjo Basuki, the chief of the chapter in a press conference.
He said that all parties in the tourist industry should see this package as a good opportunity because the elderly are not the same as other tourists who are able to go sightseeing shortly after they arrive in their hotels.
"The elderly require more time to recuperate from jet lag, thereby making them stay longer in a hotel. This means more jobs are created," he said.
According to Pudjo, Jakarta has few tourism packages for elderly tourists because basically there is no significant difference between the ordinary packages for the usual tourists and the ones for senior tourists.
"The only difference in the packages for the elderly is in the service we give. If they intend to go to Ancol water park for swimming then the travel organizer must provide extra people to look after them and watch their safety," Pudjo said.
Pudjo said the special package is hampered by the limited facilities, provided by the national tourist industry, for the elderly.
"How many hotels in this town provide specially designed rooms for its senior guests such as special toilets, bathrooms and doors which can be used by people in wheelchairs?" he asked.
Pudjo said that in the near future his office will ask all hotels in Jakarta to disclose the percentage of senior tourists occupying their rooms, so as to enable the office to intensify the promotion of the package.
Pudjo said that the idea of special tourism packages for the elderly was initiated by Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication Joop Ave, when he was still the director general of tourism.
Pudjo is optimistic that the package will be fairly profitable because both western and traditional Indonesian values support the program.
"Senior citizens from the western world use their retirement to travel and even though Indonesia's elderly rarely use their retirement the same way, when they do travel they are always accompanied by many family members," he said.
Pudjo said that based on the 1991 tourism record, 7.7 percent from the total 74 million of domestic and foreign tourists who entered this city were senior citizens.
"With the domestic tourism growth rate of 4.2 percent, there is a fine prospect for the tourism business in handling special packages for senior citizens," Pudjo said.
Pudjo announced that in order to promote the package, his office, privately owned Bouraq Airlines and Mulindo Tours travel agent are jointly holding a photo contest for senior tourists.
The participants should send three different pictures in 10 R size by Jan. 31 at the latest.
The pictures will be judged by experts from the Jakarta- based Trisakti University and the association of Indonesian professional photographers. (mas)