Jump to content

Tourism in Indonesia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Indon (talk | contribs) at 10:05, 24 August 2006 (rmv unreferenced tag, I think it's a bit better, but more citations are welcomed). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kuta beach, Bali

Indonesia is a vast tropical tourism destination. As an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, it has the longest shoreline in the world.[1] The natural beauty of Indonesia is well preserved. Indonesia exhibits great cultural diversity with about 300 different ethnic groups officially recognized.[2] The country offers great value for money to tourists and Indonesian people are renowned for their warmth and hospitability, a guiding principle of Indonesian culture.[3]

Tourism in Indonesia is overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata), but in recent years, regional tourism authorities are playing an increasingly important role in developing and marketing tourism in their regions.

Statistics

Indonesian Tourism Statistics [4]
Year International visitors Average stay (days)
2000 5,064,217 12.26
2001 5,153,620 10.49
2002 5,033,400 9.79
2003 4,467,021 9.69
2004 5,321,165 9.47
2005 5,002,101 9.05

As with most countries, domestic tourists are by far the largest market segment. The biggest movement of domestic tourists is during the annual Eid ul-Fitr, locally known as "lebaran". During this period, which is a 2 week holiday after the month of Ramadan fasting, many city-dwelling Muslim Indonesians visit relatives in their home towns. Intercity traffic is at its peak and often an additional surcharge is applied during this time.

Over the 5 years up to 2006, attention has been focused on generating more domestic tourism. Competition amongst budget airlines has increased the number of domestic air travellers throughout the country. Recently, the Ministry of Labour legislated to create long weekends by combining public holidays that fall close to weekends, except in the case of important religious holidays. During these long weekends, most hotels in popular destinations are fully booked.

Since 2000, there have been, on average, 5 million foreign tourists each year, who spend an average of US$ 100 per day (see table). With an average visit duration of 9-12 days, Indonesia gains US$ 4.6 billion of foreign exchange income annually. This makes tourism Indonesia's third most important non-oil/gas source of foreign revenue, after timber and textile products.

Three quarters of Indonesia's visitors come from the Asia Pacific region, with Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Japan and South Korea among the top five markets. The United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands are the largest sources of European visitors. Although Dutch visitors are at least in part keen to explore the historical relationships, many European visitors are seeking the tropical weather at the beach resorts.

Historical context

During the colonial era, tourism was regulated carefully by the government administration of the Dutch East Indies, with international tourists encouraged to travel in groups, and to visit the more significant 'landmark' destinations of Java, Bali and Sumatra. Much of the international tourism of the 1920s and 1930s was by international visitors on oceanic cruises. The 1930s did see a modest but significant influx of mainly European tourists and longer term stayers to Bali. Many came for the blossoming arts scene in the Ubud area, which was as much a two-way exchange between the Balinese and outsiders as it was an internal phenomenon.

Tourism more or less disappeared during World War Two, and in the early years of the Sukarno era. National pride and identity in the late 1950's and early 1960's was incorporated in the monumentalism of Sukarno in Jakarta - and this included the development of international standard hotels. The political and economic instability of the mid-1960s saw tourism decline radically again.

Bali, and in particular the small village of Kuta, was however, in the 1960s, an important stop over on the overland hippy trail between Australia and Europe, and a "secret" untouched surf spot[5]. In the early to mid 1970's high standard hotels and tourist facilities began to appear in Jakarta and Bali, and from this period to the end of the Suharto era, governmental manipulation of the tourism industry included an array of policies and developments to encourage increasing numbers of international tourists to both visit Indonesia and stay longer. There were a number of years that were declared 'Visit Indonesia Year' - with different themes. In a number of cases, where international events interfered, some years in the "Visit Indonesia" decade were considerable disasters. Considerable cynicism on the part of some poor local communities in Java led to the appearance of graffiti on water tanks and abandoned buildings proclaiming "obyek wisata", in reference to local government authorities enthusiasm to attract interest to locations with very limited interest to international tourists who tended to tread the well-worn path between the larger, and in some cases, over-promoted "tourism objects" as they were called.

Sometimes tourism development clashed with local people. In 1994, an open demonstration against the new Tanah Lot development project were held and simply halted by military intervention. In 1997, mounting anger of local people reached boiling point over a strip of a beach in front of the Bali Beach Hotel[6].

With the advent of the internet and the enthusiasm for promotional websites, tourism in the twenty first century has seen the style of street vendors in busy tourist locations of the past extend to website creators - cluttered, chaotic and of varying quality.

Nature tourism

The beach at Gili Meno with Lombok in the distant background

Indonesia has well-preserved natural beauty such as rainforests that stretch over about 57% of Indonesia's land (225 million acres). About 2% of them are mangrove.[7][8] One of the reasons why the natural beauty in Indonesia is still well-preserved is because only 6,000 islands out of 17,000 are permanently inhabited.[9] Some of the most popular forests for tourism are on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Indonesia has one of longest coastlines in the world, measuring 54,716 km [10], with many popular beach and island resorts, such as those in southern Bali, Lombok, Bintan and Nias Island.[11] However, some of the most beautiful beaches are those in more isolated and less developed areas such as Karimunjawa, the Togian Islands, and the Banda Islands.

Dive sites

With more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia presents ample diving opportunities. Bunaken at the northern tip of Sulawesi, claims to have seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii, and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific.[12] Moreover, there are over 3,500 species living in Indonesian waters, including sharks, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, morays, cuttlefish, octopus and scorpionfish, compared to 1,500 on the Great Barrier Reef and 600 in the Red Sea.[13] However, visitors do not have to pay a high rates to enjoying diving in Indonesia; at Bunaken Island National Marine Park, for example, rates start from Rp 150,000 ($USD16). Tulamben Bay in Bali boasts the wreck of a 120 meter (400 foot) US Army commissioned transport vessel, the U.S.A.T Liberty.[14] Beside Bunaken and Bali, Lombok, with three Gilis (Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan), Thousand Islands and Bangka are some of the most popular diving sites in Indonesia.

Surf breaks

Surfing is also one of the most popular water activities in Indonesia and the sites are recognised as world class.[15] The well-known spots are mostly located on the southern, Indian Ocean side of Indonesia, for example, large oceanic surf breaks on southern Java. However, the north coast does not receive the same surf from the Java Sea. Surf breaks can be found all the way along Sumatra, down to Nusa Tenggara, including Aceh, Bali, Banten, Java, Lombok, Mentawai, and Sumbawa. On Bali, there are about 33 surf spots, from West Bali to East Bali. Sumatra is the next on the list of major surf destinations, with 18 surf spots.[15][16] The perfect time for surfing is around May to September with the trade winds blowing from east to south-east. From October to April, winds tend to come from the west to north-west, so east coast breaks get the offshore winds.[17][18]

Two well-known surf breaks in Indonesia are the G-Land in the Bay of Grajagan, East Java and Lagundri Bay at the southern end of Nias island. G-Land was first identified in 1972 when a surfer saw the break from the window of a plane. After the 6 to 8 Hawaiian scale Lagundri Bay was spotted in 1975 the island has become famous for surfing worldwide.

National parks

Main article: List of national parks of Indonesia
Lesser bird of paradise
Komodo Dragon

The biggest national park in Indonesia is the 950,000 hectare Gunung Leuser National Park in the north of Sumatra island.[19] Together with Kerinci Seblat National Park and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, the total 2.5 million hectares of national parks in Sumatra, named Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Other national parks on the list are Lorentz National Park in Papua, Komodo National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands and Ujung Kulon National Park in the west of Java.

Interestingly, different national parks offer totally different outstanding biodiversity, as natural habitat in Indonesia is divided into two areas by the Wallace line. The Wallacea biogeographical distinction means the western part of Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan) have the same flora and fauna characteristics as the Asian continent, whilst the remaining eastern part of Indonesia has similarity with the Australian continent.

Elephants and tigers are commonly found in national parks in Java and Sumatra. Orangutans in the Bukit Lawang conservation area and the one-horned Javan rhinoceros in Ujung Kulon National Park have been listed as endangered species. The world’s largest flower, rafflesia arnoldi, and the tallest flower, titan arum, can be found in Sumatra.

The east side of the Wallacea line offers the most unique, rarest and most exotic animals on earth.[20] Birds of Paradise, locally known as cenderawasih, are beautiful plumed birds that can be found among other fauna in Papua New Guinea. The largest bird in Papua is the flightless cassowary. One species of lizard, the Komodo Dragon can easily be found on Komodo, located in the Nusa Tenggara lesser islands region. Besides Komodo island, this endangered species can also be found on the islands of Rintja, Padar and Flores.[21][22]

Mount Bromo

Volcanoes

Hiking and camping in the mountains are popular adventure activities. Some mountains contain ridge rivers, offering another adventure - that of rafting. Though volcanic mountains can be dangerous, they have become major tourist destinations. Popular active volcanoes are the 2,329 m high Mount Bromo in the East Java province with its little desert, the upturned boat shaped Tangkuban Perahu on the outskirts of Bandung, the most active volcano in Java, Mount Merapi and the legendary Krakatau with its new caldera known as anak krakatau (the child of Krakatau). Puncak Jaya in the Lorentz National Park, the highest mountain in Indonesia and the only mountain with ice caps, offers the opportunity of rock climbing. In Sumatra, there are the remains of a supervolcano eruption that have created the landscape of Lake Toba close to Medan in North Sumatra.

Cultural tourism

Main article: Culture of Indonesia
Wayang Kulit in Solo, Java

With over 300 ethnic groups, Indonesia has many different cultural tourism varieties spreaded on different islands.[23] Since its earliest history, before the third century, Sailendra, a Hindu kingdom was located in Java, which heavily contributed the Hiduism development in Indonesia. Until the modern days, there are numbers of different culture took place in Indonesia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam from religion aspect and different nations such as Portugese, British, Dutch and Japanese. Because of this, in its modern era, Indonesia is rich with many cultural varieties.[24] Some of the cultural tourism destinations are Borobudur and Prambanan near Yogyakarta, the culture of Minangkabau, with its Rumah Gadang (Minangkabau), religious and cultural festivals in Bali[3], and the Toraja area of South Sulawesi, with its elaborate funeral rituals.

Metropolitan tourism

Metropolitan tourism including shopping, sightseeing in big cities and enjoying modern amusement parks. The nation's capital, Jakarta, offers many places for shopping, since there are about eight malls in the province, such as Mal Kelapa Gading,

Jakarta in the morning

which is the biggest mall in Indonesia (130,000 m²), Plaza Senayan and Plaza Indonesia. Another popular tourist activity is golfing, which is usually favoured by the upper classes, including foreigners. Some notable golf courses in Jakarta are Cengkareng Golf Club, which is located in the airport complex, and Pondok Indah Golf and Country Club. Bali has many shopping centers, for instance, the Kuta shopping center and the Galeria Nusa Dua.

The nightlife of Indonesia is popular among foreigners, especially in the main cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Denpasar.[25] However, not many native Indonesians enjoy the nightlife because Islam, which prohibits alcohol, is dominant in Indonesia.[26]

With inflation, the rate of Indonesian rupiah has decreased significantly for around Rp 9,100 for US$1 (as at 2006). As a result, the prices of goods are relatively cheap for Western tourists.

Accomodation

The standards and types of accomodation available to the tourist varies from 5 star hotels to basic beach huts, with something to suit every taste and budget. Most large cities and tourist resorts have a selection of hotels, but the predominant form of accomodation is the family run hostel which can be found wherever there are budget travellers[27]. These losmen provide not only accomodation, but often also will offer food and information for the traveller. In very remote villages, it might be necessary to discuss accomodation requirements with the village head. In Ubud, and elsewhere in Bali, many guest houses have been set up using the traditional family compound as their setting.

Food in Indonesia

Main article: Cuisine of Indonesia

The variety of cultures in Indonesia is reflected in the wide range of foods in the nation. Since the 15th century, many European traders have visited the archipelago to buy different kinds of spices, including pepper and mace. In modern times, many cultures and countries have influenced the cuisine of Indonesia, such as Western culture and Asian culture. Many claim that this diversity has resulted in one of the most unique cuisines in the world.[28]

The main principle of almost all Indonesian food is halal.[29] Rice is Indonesia's most important staple food. Most Indonesians eat rice twice a day, at lunch and dinner.[30] The rice is usually served with a side dish, such as chicken, meats and vegetables. Although the meals are generally simple, the plentiful use of various roots, spices, grasses, and leaves adds flavour to most dishes.[28] An Indonesian meal will often be accompanied by various condiments at the table, including sambal and kecap. Other main meals, such as potato, noodles, soybeans and wheat are common. The most common method for preparing food is frying, though grilling, simmering, steaming and stewing are also used.

Indonesian cuisine is also influenced by Western culture. The most obvious example is the presence of fast food companies in Indonesia, such as McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut.

To popularise the food of Indonesia, some tourism developers have also created events related to Indonesian food, such as a food festival called "Enak-Enak", which runs from August 15 to August 31, 2006.[31]

International tourist arrivals

International airports

Main article: List of airports in Indonesia

Each of the larger Indonesian islands, with the exception of Sulawesi and New Guinea, have at least one international airport. The biggest airport in Indonesia, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, is located in Tangerang Regency, Banten. There are two more international airports on Java, Adisumarmo International Airport in Central Java and Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta. On Kalimantan there is one international airport and there are two on Sumatra. Bali, which is part of the Nusa Tenggara Islands, and hosts the Ngurah Rai Airport.

Visa regulations

Tourists from Brunei, Chile, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam can enter Indonesia without a visa.[32] Citizens of these countries will be issued on arrival a permit for a 30 day stay upon presentation of a valid passport with at least six months to run. This stay permit cannot be extended or converted to another type of visa.

On February 1, 2004, Indonesia introduced a visa on arrival scheme (VOA) which is available to citizens of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.[33] The VOA means the citizens of these countries do not have to process their visa before they travel to Indonesia. However, an application is compulsory to both VOA and visa-free countries.[34] On July 14, 2004, the Indonesian tourism ministry granted permission for more coutries to be included on the VOA list, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Egypt, Austria, Ireland, Qatar and Luxembourg.[33] The visa on arrival cannot be extended or converted into any other kind of visa. The visa holder also has to leave the country on the 30th day of the stay.

Threats to the tourism industry

Travel Warnings
Country Warning Date Regions Warnings
United States [1] 2005-11-18 Bali, Jakarta Terrorist threats
Aceh, Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi Regional conflicts
Australia [2] 2006-08-21 All Indonesia Terrorist threats
United Kingdom [3] 2006-08-21 All Indonesia Terrorist threats
Maluku, Central Sulawesi, Aceh Regional conflicts

The 2002 Bali bombing was a major blow to the tourism industry in Indonesia. A series of travel warnings were issued by a number of countries. Subsequently, the rate of tourism in Bali decreased by 31%.[35] Furthermore, a series of terrorist attacks — the 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing, the 2004 Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta, and a second bombing in Bali — have worsened the situation for the tourism industry.

A recent outbreak of bird flu throughout the country has been affecting numbers of foreign travellers. It has resulted in at least 46 deaths since the spread of the disease last year, making Indonesia the country with the highest death-toll from the recent epidemic.[36] However, since the disease has not yet been proven to mutate into a form that can transfer from human to human, the U.S. embassy, for example, has not yet issued a travel warning regarding the outbreak.[37]

Another major threat to the tourism industry are sectarian and separatist conflicts in Indonesia. Papua is still affected by Papuan separatism, while Maluku and Central Sulawesi have suffered in recent years from serious sectarian conflicts. Conversely, decades of separatism-related violence in Aceh ended in 2005 with the signing of a peace agreement between the Indonesia Government and the Free Aceh Movement.[38]

See also

References

  • Buckles, Guy The Dive Sites Of Indonesia, New Holland (Publishers) Ltd, 1997, paperback, 176 pages, ISBN 1853685984
  • McCarthy, John. Are sweet dreams made of this? : tourism in Bali and Eastern Indonesia . Indonesia Resources and Information Program, 1994. ISBN 0646187910
  • McPhee,Colin A House In Bali, First published 1947 by Victor Gollancz Ltd. Paperback edition by Periplus (HK) Ltd, 2000, Paperback, 214 pages, ISBN 9625936297
  • George Miller (editor), To The Spice Islands And Beyond: Travels in Eastern Indonesia, Oxford University Press, 1996, Paperback, 310 pages, ISBN 9676530099
  • James R. Rush (editor), Java: A Traveller's Anthology, Oxford University Press, 1996, Paperback, 292, ISBN 9676530824
  • Scidmore, E.R. Java: The Garden of the East, First published 1899 by The Century Co (New York), paperback edition: Oxford University Press, 1986, 340 pages, ISBN 0195825969
  • Severin, Tim The Spice Island Voyage: In Search of Wallace, Abacus, 1997, paperback, 302 pages, ISBN 0349110409
  • Shavit, David. Bali and the tourist industry : a history, 1906-1942 Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2003. ISBN 078641572X
  • Vickers, Adrian (editor), Travelling to Bali: Four Hundred Years of Journeys, Oxford University Press, 1994, Paperback, 278 pages, ISBN 9676530816
  • Indonesia 7th edition, Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, November 2003, 943 pages, ISBN 1740591542

Notes

  1. ^ CIA World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2060.html
  2. ^ Adventure in Indonesia http://www.geographia.com/indonesia/indono02.htm
  3. ^ a b Indonesia Travel Guide http://www.asia-hotel.net/travel-guide/indonesia/bali-indonesia.htm
  4. ^ "Visitor Arrivals to Indonesia 2000-2005" (Press release). Minister of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Indonesia. 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-17.
  5. ^ Indonesia 7th edition, Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, November 2003, ISBN1740591542
  6. ^ "Whose tourism? Balinese fight back". Inside Indonesia. April–June 1998. Retrieved 2006-08-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  7. ^ WWF UK http://www.wwf.org.uk/researcher/places/0000000216.asp
  8. ^ Indonesia on Rainforest Portal http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Regions/Asia/Indonesia/
  9. ^ KRBI Canberra http://www.kbri-canberra.org.au/press/press040927e_deplu.htm
  10. ^ Library of Congress http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Indonesia.pdf#search=%22length%20of%20indonesian%20coastline%22
  11. ^ Asia Dive Site http://www.asiadivesite.com/indonesia-dive-sites/
  12. ^ Bunaken Diving Sites http://www.divetheworldindonesia.com/manado-diving-sites-bunaken-island.htm
  13. ^ Scuba Diving Indonesia http://www.divesitedirectory.com/indonesia.html
  14. ^ Dive Bali http://www.divecenterbali.com/divesites/tulamben_wreck.htm
  15. ^ a b Surf Spot Guide Indonesia http://www.globalsurfers.com/country_details.cfm?land=Indonesia
  16. ^ Indonesia Asia Surf Spots http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Asia/Indonesia/index.html
  17. ^ Bali & East Java Surf Trip http://www.infohub.com/vacation_packages/431.html
  18. ^ Atoll Travel http://www.atolltravel.com/default.htm?http://www.atolltravel.com/Indo/Indonesia.htm
  19. ^ Sumatran Tiger and National Park http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/gunungleuser.html
  20. ^ Wealth of Unique Species http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/KALFLO/flora.php
  21. ^ Komodo Dragons and Their Island http://www.heptune.com/komodo.html
  22. ^ Komodo Dragon http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/English/komodo.htm
  23. ^ An Overview of Indonesia http://www.expat.or.id/info/overview.html
  24. ^ Country Pages http://www.cies.org/country/indonesia.htm
  25. ^ Bali Nightlife and Entertainment http://www.bali-indonesia.com/attractions/enternight.html
  26. ^ Indonesia Nightlife http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Indonesia/Nightlife-Indonesia-BR-2.html
  27. ^ Inside Indonesia 51 http://www.serve.com/inside/edit51/kate1.htm
  28. ^ a b Indonesia Food http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Indonesia.html#Nasi_Goreng_Fried_Rice
  29. ^ Islam Online http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-07/20/article08.shtml
  30. ^ What Indonesians Eat http://indonesia.elga.net.id/indoway/food.html
  31. ^ Tourism Indonesia http://www.tourismindonesia.com/389.html
  32. ^ Bali Guide http://www.baliguide.com/visa_regulations.html
  33. ^ a b Indonesia Visa on Arrival News http://www.indo.com/indonesia/news391.html
  34. ^ Bali Guide http://www.baliguide.com/visa_regulations.html
  35. ^ "Waiting for the Rain". Peace and Conflict Monitor. 2003-02-10.
  36. ^ "Indonesian woman died of bird flu, cluster probed". Reuters. 2006-08-20.
  37. ^ "USA Not to Issue Travel Warning". Tempointeraktif. 2005-09-23.
  38. ^ "Former rebel says Aceh peace is here to stay". Reuters. 2006-08-13.

References

Template:Life in Indonesia

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tourism_in_Indonesia&oldid=71567660"