Tourist industry people work hard to polish RI's image
Grace Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Contributor, Yogyakarta
Spirits are running high among people in the tourism industry here currently as the city is very busy welcoming delegates to an upcoming conference on tourism in Southeast Asia.
Passengers arrive at the Adisucipto Airport and alight in front of green billboards welcoming participants to the Jan. 21 - Jan. 28 Royal ASEAN Tourism Forum 2002.
Similar greetings have also been put up at major intersections. Hotel vehicles in the ancient city have signs carrying the same message.
As always, hoteliers hope to enjoy the peak season, while offering their best service.
"We have been doing some renovation work since early January, buying new carpet, new marble and doing some repainting in the lobby," said Darmawan Pandoyo, Hotel Santika's marketing manager.
Sheraton Mustika hotel is also busy beautifying itself.
"We started refurbishing our 241 rooms last October," Edwin Saragih, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, said.
Most of the star-rated hotels have been fully-booked during past ASEAN tourist events throughout the region, and this year looks to be no exception for Yogyakarta. For instance, all of Santika's 148 rooms have been booked from Jan. 24 to Jan. 30. The Sheraton is also sold out.
The hot issue surrounding the ATF meeting is the main venue which is still under construction despite the fact that the event is set to begin in a few days time.
"The construction workers toil night and day," said taxi driver Dharmo, referring to the project, which will be called Yogyakarta Exhibition and Convention Center, or YECC.
The issue of the 17,000 square meter building has been a source of anxiety among people in the tourism industry and it has been discussed in ASEAN's tourism publications for months.
Initially, the ATF was planned to be held in a huge dome-tent which could be rented for Rp 9.5 billion (US$930,000).
But the plans changed after Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X saw the advantage of having a permanent convention center in developing the MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition) industry for the long term.
So the construction of this Rp 23.5 billion building was finally started last July with the initial target being to accommodate the ATF participants.
Locals are also pessimistic of whether the project can be completed on time.
"Every time I go to Yogyakarta, I always visit this building to see whether it will be finished on time or not for the ATF. If not, it will be very embarrassing for Indonesia," Meity Robot, chairperson of the Indonesian Association of Tours and Travel Agencies (Asita), said.
ATF is a regional cooperative endeavor to promote the 10 ASEAN member countries as a top tourist destination. The hosting of ATF is rotated among them.
This year's ATF will be the 21st since it started in Malaysia in 1981.
Last year, it was held in Jerudong Park at Bandar Seri Begawan of Brunei Darussalam. At that time, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah officially launched the Visit ASEAN Campaign (VAC), as the new beginning to build a stronger bond in the ASEAN region as a single tourism destination.
ATF 2003 will be held in Cambodia.
Indonesia has hosted ATF three times. The first was in Jakarta in 1986, then Bandung in 1991 and Surabaya in 1996.
Themed "Nature Links and Cultural Corridors", this year's conference will be attended by some 1,200 people, including 355 travel agents from other parts of the world willing to buy tour packages offered during the event by 322 agents.
"A seller has to pay between $1,520 and to $1,820 for a nine- square-meter booth plus another $475 up to $580 as delegates. It means that only serious parties will go and buy for that price," said one organizer.
Angela Wood of Thompsons Tours from Dunkled West in South Africa planned to visit the ATF in Yogyakarta to seek opportunities to sell packages to popular spots like Bali, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Wood stated that Bali -- despite the unfavorable image of Indonesia -- remains a popular destination among South Africans.
"We have been trying to push for Java as well, but it is not very popular here. The riots and problems in Jakarta unfortunately are a bit of a problem, but we continue to push for Bali," she said.
The Rp 42.5 billion that the government will spend on ATF -- to improve its tarnished image and lure more tourists -- makes sense.
This year, Indonesia expects to record between 5.4 million and 5.8 million international tourists with an average spending of $100 per day. Last year, the country failed to reach its target of 5.4 million for which State Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gede Ardika blamed it on the Sept. 11 attacks and the Indonesian response.
Tourism ministers from ASEAN member countries, analysts, observers and journalists from other countries are expected to color the 2002 ATF meeting and make their own decisions about the image of Indonesia.
"I have visited more than 100 countries, but never to Indonesia. So I look forward to this upcoming ATF." says Michael Snow, a reporter from The Washington Post, who will cover the event.