Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Jakarta tourism in the red amid lack of info, promotion

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Jakarta tourism in the red amid lack of info, promotion

Thom Smyth, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Wed, 02/11/2009 12:11 PM

Windows to the soul: Some tourists peer out windows at the Jakarta History Museum in this file photo. JP/J. ADIGUNA

Tourism operators blame the global financial crisis, traffic congestion, a lack of information and infrastructure, and government inaction for a drop in visitor numbers and lost revenue at some key historic sites and tourist attractions in the city.

“On a weekday, we would have only about 60 people. On weekends it is up to 200, and the numbers of Western tourists are decreasing,” said Yogi, bar manager at tourist icon Café Batavia near Jakarta History Museum in West Jakarta.

“Most of our customers, about 60 percent, are tourists. From the beginning of 2008 until now, we feel we have missed out on a lot of tourists. Business has been harder.”

The Arts and Ceramics Museum and Maritime Museum, both also in West Jakarta, also reported a drop in foreign visitors, while the Jakarta History Museum revealed that despite a rise in overall visitors, it saw a drop in the proportion of foreign visitors.

Cradle of independence: The façade of the National Awakening Museum in Central Jakarta remains quiet. The building was formerly used by Dutch rulers as a school of medicine for native Indonesians. JP/R. BERTO WEDHATAMA

Although Indonesia failed to reach its 2008 tourism target of seven million visitors (later revised down in October 2008), Culture and Tourism Ministry statistics show 6.4 million people visited Indonesia in 2008, with strong growth in passenger traffic through all major airports.

The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport reported an almost 28 percent increase in the year to October 2008 on previous annual visitor figures, with 1,197,500 recorded entries through the airport.

But tourism operators report these numbers are not resulting in increased revenue or tourism traffic for their businesses and attractions, which operators are attributing to a lack of tourism information for visiting travellers and an “ineffective” advertising campaign.

Bank Mandiri Museum director Firman Harris called on the city tourism agency to provide more information to travellers.

He said more information should be provided in English and other languages.

“In every public area there needs to be information, at every hotel. The agency should be more active in promoting Jakarta in public areas, online and through travel agents,” Firman said.

“The government could provide a program of events every month to travel agents so they can promote the events to their customers.”

Bar Manager Yogi agreed. “Kota is a tourist area, but there is no information center. Tourists don’t know where to go.

“Some guests have their own information, like the Lonely Planet guide, but nothing from the tourism agency.

When some guests ask where to go I give them magazines like Jakarta Java Kini or Timeout Jakarta because they have better information than anything from the agency.”

Official Culture and Tourism Ministry figures show that while the average time international visitors stay in Indonesia is falling, down to 8.5 days in 2008 from the 2007 figure of 9.1 days, they are spending more while they are in the country.

Figures show the average amount spent by tourists during their stay was US$1178 (Rp 14.02 million), accounting for some $7.6 billion in foreign exchange income, up from $970 (Rp11.6 million) each to a total of $5.4 billion in 2007.

Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said earlier that tourists would spend less this year because of the global financial crisis, but that visitor numbers should still grow to 6.5 million arrivals spending on average about $1,000 (Rp 11.9 million) each.

Austrian tourist David Markvicka, stopping over in Jakarta en route to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province to go diving, said he had enjoyed his time in Jakarta, but the lack of information on public transport and entertainment was frustrating.

“I just read in Lonely Planet about Jakarta, just basic tourist information, nothing from the government or administration. I think it would be good to hand out maps at the airport or on flights, especially about the transport system because I can’t really understand it,” Markvicka said.

Arie Budhiman, the head tourism agency, did not respond to calls for comment.

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