Foundation supports museums to boost visitor numbers

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): In an attempt to boost the number of museum visitors, Surabaya-based non-profit organization, House of Sampoerna, has published a brochure advertising seven museums in Indonesia.

The publication is part of the "Wisata Museum" program, which promotes museum tourism.

"Tourism is not merely related to recreation or having fun but also to education and cultural appreciation. By getting to know about our culture, people will learn to appreciate it," Ina Silas of the House of Sampoerna said during the program's launch at the National Museum in Jakarta on Thursday.

The seven museums are the National Museum, Museum of History and Bank Mandiri Museum, all in Jakarta; Batik Danar Hadi Museum in Surakarta, Central Java; Geology Museum in Bandung; and Sepuluh Nopember Museum in Surabaya.

The seven museums were chosen based on their capacity to accommodate visitors. The House of Sampoerna conducted a survey of museum attendance before deciding to publish the brochure.

Dedah Sri Handari of the National Museum said interest to museum had increased within the last few years, but it should be supported by enough information on museum's collection and programs.

Data from the National Museum shows that the number of visitors to the museum fluctuated over the last three year. It reached 170,437 in 2005, shrink to 120,331 in 2006 and slightly increased to 162,227 in 2007.

These number were dominated by students and members of organization that held visiting program to the museum. In 2005 more than 55 percent (93,812) of visitors were students, in 2006 61 percent (73,481), while in 2007 48.43 percent (78,602) were students.

According to Education Ministry data, there are 275 private and state museums in the country.