Ministry: Indonesia Has Only Four Decent Zoos

Jakarta Globe, Vento Saudale, Feb 08, 2015

In this file photo taken on April 17, 2013, an ailing critically endangered
Sumatran tiger named Melani is fed from an enclosure at the Surabaya Zoo.
(AFP Photo/Juni Kriswanto)

Pasuruan, East Java. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has given the management of the vast majority of Indonesian zoos a piece of its mind, saying there are only four decent wildlife parks throughout the archipelago.

Indonesia currently has 58 registered zoos, but 54 of them are either deemed improper by the government or are not yet officially accredited.

Bambang Dahono Adji, the ministry’s director for conservation, said that only half of the nation’s zoos had gone through the accreditation process, and that most failed to make the cut.

“Out of those 29 zoos, only 4 received the A-grade, meaning they are decent and appropriate,” he said on Saturday. “While the others were given Grade B [less than decent] or C [bad].”

The four zoos that do make the grade are Taman Safari Cisarua in West Java, Taman Safari Pasuruan in East Java, Taman Safari Gianyar in Bali, and Sea World in Jakarta.

The accreditation process is conducted once every five years by representatives from the government, veterinarians and other experts who look at animal welfare, animal death rates and the zoo’s facilities, among other things.

“We will evaluate from time to time whether [a park's] accreditation result gets better or worse,” Bambang said. “It’s possible for a Grade-A zoo to get a lower grade in its next accreditation. For those with Grade C, if they don’t get their act together, the ministry will recommend that their license be revoked.”

Bambang admitted that state-run zoos have been performing poorly, but he said he expected plenty of improvement in the near future, as the government has been investing in human resources.

Surabaya Zoo is the most notorious wildlife park in the country, for its high rate of animal deaths.

The zoo lost its permit in 2010 over a tug-of-war over control of the zoo by the previous management. The management fiasco resulted in the massive neglect of the animals and dozens of deaths, including of critically endangered species, and the loss of some animals suspected to have been sold into the illegal wildlife trade. But Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini in August last year announced major changes in the running of the zoo.

Before the mayor stepped in, a lion was found strangled to death in its enclosure after getting tangled in a cable that was hanging loose near its door. And in 2012, the zoo’s only giraffe was found dead with a 20-kilogram ball of plastic trash in its stomach. The plastic was believed to have accumulated from trash thrown into the giraffe’s enclosure by visitors. There was also a case in 2011 of three baby Komodo dragons going missing — presumably sold into the illegal wildlife trade.

Ministry Bans Sale of Plane Tickets at Airports

Jakarta Globe, Feb 02, 2015

Passengers check in for an AirAsia flight at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport, in this Dec. 28, 2014, file photo. (Reuters Photo/Pius Erlangga)

Jakarta. In a move aimed at improving the public service, the Transportation Ministry will ban the sale of flight tickets at airports throughout the country.

“There will be no more ticket counters at [Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's] terminal 1, 2 and 3 [from Feb. 15],” Yudis Tiawan, a spokesman for state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II, was quoted as saying by Tempo.co on Monday.

Yudis explained that the move was aimed primarily at ending the widespread practice of ticket buying through middlemen (calo) at the airport.

The ticket counters operating at Soekarno-Hatta are mostly selling tickets for domestic destinations. People will now have to obtain their tickets before heading to the airport.

Yudis said all airlines selling tickets at airport counters have been notified of the rule change, which is based on a regulation issued by the Transportation Ministry on Dec. 31, 2014.

The regulation also stipulates that unregistered taxis are not allowed to operate at the nation’s airports and that smoking is banned in all airside areas (apron, runway, taxiway) and places that have direct access to these areas.

“This instruction applies for all airports in Indonesia and is meant to improve the public service,” Yudis said.

"Best Hotel Receptionist in Indonesia for the Year 2009" awarded to Putu Cintya Purnama of Novotel Bali Benoa

Travel Blackboard, Tuesday, 8 December 2009

Ms. Cintya together with Mr. Olivier Moies-Delval – General Manager and all Department Heads of Novotel Bali Benoa.

announced today a stand out employee of the hotel - Ms. Putu Cintya Purnama Sari, has been voted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Hotel Front Liner Association and Indonesia Hospitality Alliance as the “National Best Hotel Receptionist of the Year 2009”.

The aim of this competition is to raise the profile of the Hotel Receptionist as a valid and rewarding career, ignite a healthy and competitive passion for customer service and motivate front line staff to excel in their current roles.

The Hotel Front Liners Association Bali together with Bali Hotels Association has actively been organizing and facilitating the regional competition, searching for the best of the best from the Hotel Receptions throughout Bali to find who will go on to compete at the National competition which was held on 30th October 2009 in Jakarta. The national winner will represent Indonesia at the AICR International Receptionist of the Year competition which will be held in Madrid, Spain in February 2010.

During the final selection of the National Best Hotel Receptionist in 2009, all the finalists from leading hotels in Indonesia were tested by four judges who came from the academic of hospitality, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as well as two hotel guests. The candidates must undergo a written test of receptionist in-depth knowledge and on Indonesia tourism including an interview. The test was followed by a skill demonstration (role-play) where the candidates have to think and identify the guest’s needs and provide the highest standard of customer care and professionalism.

Putu Cintya from Novotel Bali Benoa was the leader of the competition and having beaten 6 finalists of the 250 hotels in Indonesia. She will go on to represent Indonesia at the AICR International Receptionist of the Year competition in Madrid, Spain. Putu Cintya said “I am proud and excited to achieved this award and will do my very best at the International Receptionist competition in Madrid”.

Mr. Olivier Moies-Delval, General Manager of Novotel Bali Benoa also said “We are delighted with Cintya’s great performance in the recent competition and it reflects on all of the team Novotel Bali Benoa’s. For us, Cintya has already reached an important step, all the team will fully support her to represent Indonesia hospitality industry in Madrid”

Novotel Bali Benoa is located on the water front in Nusa Dua, overlooking the golden sands of Tanjung Benoa beach. It is only 20 minutes from Ngurah Rai International airport and just 10 minutes from Bali Collection Shopping mall. The resort has been created using traditional Balinese architecture which provides a unique eco friendly atmosphere set within luscious tropical gardens.

Letters : Why doesn't RI invest in tourism?

Tue, 03/24/2009 12:56 PM | The Jakarta Post Reader's Forum

Denni Hooping (the Post, 18 March) wrote a very nice letter pleading not to wait "until nothing is left".

For me as a foreigner (German), Indonesia's richness in so many regards is one of the strong reasons why I simply love to live in this country.

Hence, I am confused why Indonesia has so much difficulty in attracting more tourists. Indonesia's 2008 target of 7 million arrivals seemed to be a stiff one, i.e. with a projected growth of more than 25 percent compared to 2007.

As far as I am concerned, setting a (mid-term) target closer to Thailand's 15 million or Malaysia's 21 million tourists would be the right approach and more in line with Indonesia's potential.

Denni is quite right in saying that Indonesia's current performance is rather on the "lackluster" side, while the government claims success for the achievement of just 6.23 million visitors in 2008.

What can we expect if a good portion of the 2008 tourism promotion budget went on replacing all printed materials, after the grammatical disaster with the slogan ("nation's" changing to become "national awakening").

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism certainly is trying their best and I fully understand all the difficulties in managing complex challenges throughout the entire value-chain of the tourism sector.

However, in order to better exploit the potential of tourism for Indonesia, probably a more coordinated and professional approach would be necessary.

I remember reading about an initiative to install a Tourism Coordination Board. Has there been any progress? With 32 ministers already on the payroll, just one more coordinating minister probably would not be too difficult to justify.

It might be a good investment! Because tourism definitely has substantial economic relevance, promises a good return on investment, together with being a good source of foreign exchange income.

Bank Indonesia's 2008 current account shows a travel inflow of US$ 7.4 billion, 63 percent more compared to 2005. Not peanuts! Since Indonesians obviously also travel abroad, the outflow of foreign exchange already amounts to $5.6 billion (up 56 percent on 2005 figures). The balance of just $1.8 million did not make a big difference to prevent Indonesia's balance of payments suffering in 2008.

The World Economic Forum has just released the 2009 report of their Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

Among 133 surveyed countries Indonesia ranks at No. 81 (one down from 2008). Among our "toughest" tourism competitors, Malaysia remained at No. 32, Thailand and India slightly improved to positions to 39 and 62 respectively. And apart from Singapore (No.10) there is another smaller ASEAN country ranked in front of Indonesia . Brunei at No. 69!

What are these countries doing better? We'd better start looking at the weaknesses this survey is revealing to Indonesia. Among them are: Environmental sustainability, safety and security, health and hygiene, tourism infrastructure.

Here, the 2009 government stimulus package of Rp 71.3 trillion immediately comes to mind. Why not reallocate some funds into tourism infrastructure investments? Improving Indonesia's competitiveness certainly is a pre-requisite to capitalizing on the still-good prospects of international tourism.

And may I finally add, Indonesia IS truly Asia, amazing and incredible all combined ... indeed the ultimate in diversity.

Eckart Schumacher
BSD-City, Banten

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Samosir regency striving to revive tourism sector

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Samosir regency administration in North Sumatra is striving to promote its agricultural hinterland into a popular tourism attraction and its main source of regional income over the next three years.

Samosir Regent Mangindar Simbolon said that his administration was in the process of mapping the region as part of the effort to develop Samosir Island as a major tourism destination by 2010.

Mangindar said that the plan to promote the tourism sector had been taken based on the location of Samosir regency. Samosir, which is located in the middle of Lake Toba, is believed to be capable of attracting a large number of tourists, he said.

Samosir, a regency with a population of about 131,000, has been focusing on the development of the tourism industry after being hived off from Toba Samosir regency two years ago.

"We will rely on Simanindo, Pusuik Buit and Dewana Runggu districts in the regency as the main tourism agencies," Mangindar told The Jakarta Post recently.

Mangindar said that his administration would take inventories in the three districts to identify their potential and to decide what needed to be done to further develop them.

He said that each of the three districts had its own unique attractions.

Mangindar acknowledged that the development of tourism in Samosir was closely related to the development of tourism at Lake Toba.

"We are determined to develop three sectors that can support each other -- tourism, agribusiness and transportation," he said.

A cooperative venture with six other nearby regencies has been developed with the support of the State Ministry for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions.

Mangindar said he hoped that under the venture, an agency to be named the Lake Toba Tourism Board would be set up in 2008 to manage the tourism sector.

Mangindar, however, expressed concern over a decrease in the number of tourists visiting Lake Toba due to mismanagement.

"I'm sure Lake Toba tourism can be revived and attract more tourists if it is managed professionally by all relevant institutions. And of course, this will increase the regency's revenue," he added.

"That's why we want the board to be managed by independent professionals, not officials of the regional administrations. The regency administrations will just function as the owners," he said.

He expressed the hope that the board would also formulate an appropriate concept for managing tourism at Lake Toba.

"We need to establish collaboration between all the regencies that are connected directly with Toba Lake in order to resolve obstacles hampering tourism development. We also need to cooperate with the private sector to overcome the problems we face," he added.

Meanwhile, Maranti Tobing, chairman of the Samosir chapter of the Indonesian Restaurant and Hotel Association, admitted that both Samosir and Lake Toba had not been managed properly due mainly to a lack of promotion.

He said that almost all parts of Lake Toba were now covered by water hyacinth, locally known as eceng gondok, and widespread fish farming had ruined the lake's tourism potential.

"We need a serious commitment from both the central and local governments to develop tourism in Lake Toba and Samosir," he added.

Mangindar said that Toba Lake would be cleared of the wild eceng gondok, which would be used as raw material in the production of handicrafts. He said that the administration had also approached owners of the fish farms to urge them to move to more appropriate areas.

The regent further said that the Samosir regency administration's budget for 2007 amounted to Rp 313 billion (US$34.70 million), but was unable to say exactly how much of this had been allocated for tourism development.

RI eyes $6.4b from tourism in 2008

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government said it hopes to bring in US$ 6.4 billion in foreign exchange from an estimated seven million foreign tourists expected next year.

The government has set these targets for its 2008 visit Indonesia campaign.

"We haven't reached our target yet for the year 2007, but the number of foreign visitors arriving in the first 10 months of this year was up, compared to last year's figures," Thamrin Bhiwana Bachri, director general for marketing at the Culture and Tourism Ministry told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"Arrivals were increasing at around 14.4 percent from January to October this year, compared to the same period in 2006."

Thamrin said ASEAN countries, especially Malaysia and Singapore, had been the focus for Indonesia's tourism sector over the last 10 to 15 years.

He said these two countries remained Indonesia's major markets.

"Their proximity, the high amount of flights available and the similar customs and food are the main factors that stimulate the interest of people from these countries to visit Indonesia," he said.

But the government needed to develop tourist attractions in regions by improving facilities and access, Thamrin said.

"We have many other interesting places and cultures other than Bali," he said.

"But those places don't have good infrastructure or facilities able to accommodate tourist needs, like convenient hotels and resorts, clean public toilets, well-managed airports or easy access to tourist attractions."

Bali remains a favorite tourist destination, with foreign arrivals up 40 percent this year.

The "Visit Indonesia Year 2008" campaign, which would be launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Jan. 1, is set to stage 100 international-scale events and cultural festivals.

It has been timed to coincide with the "World Culture Forum Asia & Pacific" in New Delhi in January 2008.

Legislator Ade Daud Nasution from Crescent Star Party (PBB) is the owner of several hotels in Bali and Riau Islands and said the government must continue developing the Riau archipelago.

He said this was vital in order to win the tourism competition against Singapore and Malaysia and to attract tourists from China, the Middle East and Japan.

"We have to develop an integrated tourist resort on Bintan, Galang and Batam islands, which are located in a strategic position on the Malacca Straits," he told the Post.

"The government could invite foreign investors to take part in the integrated tourist resort project if it can not do this alone," Ade said.

The government said recently Indonesia's economic growth in the coming years could depend on the tourism sector if the Bintan Bay Treasure integrated resort was realized.

The resort is projected to compete with Singapore and Malaysia.

Ade said Malaysia's Landmarks Bhd. had confirmed its readiness to take part in the project in Bintan and many local businessmen had also shown an interest.

Hasto Kristiyanto from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the government would need to invest a serious sum if it wanted to make the Riau archipelago a viable tourist destination in Southeast Asia.

"Despite having a Muslim majority, Indonesia should not be a hypocrite," Hasto said.

"It should learn more from Malaysia and Singapore and see how they have developed their tourism industries," he said. (rff)

Old Town to be car-free this Sunday

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several streets in Central Jakarta's Old Town area will be closed to motorists Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. to reduce air pollution at the tourist destination.

The city administration has announced the Old Town area will be a car-free zone on the fourth Sunday of every month, beginning in November. The move is in accordance with a 2005 bylaw on air pollution control.

The policy will affect Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, Jl. Cengkeh and Jl. Tongkol, which are home to Fatahillah Square, the Jakarta Museum, the Puppet Museum and Red House.

Cyclists, pedestrians and public transportation will be allowed on the streets; all other motorists will be rerouted to Jl. Kali Besar Barat and Jl. Kali Besar Timur.

Jakarta Environment Management Board head Budirama Natakusuma said the ban would allow Old Town visitors to enjoy fresher air.

In addition to closing streets, the administration has organized a variety of programs and performances to draw visitors.

"We will collaborate with the Old Town Society to facilitate a mass aerobic exercise, a bazaar of traditional cuisine and traditional attractions such as the Chinese lion dance and performances of the West Java stringed musical instrument kecapi in the courtyard of Fatahillah Museum," he said.

Old Town Society consists of residents and shop owners in the area, which is known for its historic buildings, which date back as far as the 17th century.

The city administration first introduced car-free days in September, when it closed Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to private vehicles and taxis.

However, the event failed to achieve its goal of reducing air pollution, as motorists simply jammed alternative streets rather than leaving their vehicles at home.

Poor coordination between police and the Jakarta Transportation Agency left motorists confused, resulting in many cars being allowed to enter the supposedly closed-off streets.

Budirama blamed motorists' ignorance for the failure.

"We have to work hard to raise people's awareness of the importance of reducing air pollution."

Between 2001 and 2005, Jakarta experienced an average of fewer than 11 clean air days a year. In 2006, there were 45 clean air days, while there have been 54 so far this year

The administration said vehicle emissions accounted for 70 percent of air pollution in the capital.

A 2005 bylaw stipulates that each of Jakarta's five municipalities must organize one car-free day at the end of each month.

The city administration earlier said it planned to fully enforce the bylaw by November, but to date only Central Jakarta has organized a car-free day. (lln)

Region needs to be more responsible, says expert

TTNWorldwide.com

As the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards call for entries, chairman of the jury Costas Christ tells SHALU CHANDRAN that the Middle East has great promise for sustainable tourism – but there are some concerns, too. Excerpts:

There is a lot of confusion between nature tourism and eco-tourism. How would you differentiate the two?

As tourists to any region or country, we learn a lot about the area we are in, we camp on the beaches and watch the wildlife and end our trip saying how wonderful it was. What we have just experienced is nature tourism experience.

When that same trip and the revenue generated from it and the partnerships associated with it are directly protecting the environment we traveled through and bringing tangible economic benefits to the people who live there, it transforms itself into eco-tourism.

So, eco-tourism is a concept based upon direct connection in protecting nature, environmental sustainability and giving back to the local communities. Where local people have been brought in as partners and stakeholders to contribute, we have seen tourism become a tremendous opportunity rather than a threat. Eco-tourism which has today evolved into sustainable tourism is about ensuring that all parties are beneficiaries.

How can tourism today, play a role in sustaining eco-tourism?

First of all we have seen an evolution in this whole notion of responsible tourism. Eco-tourism is primarily focused in and around nature-based tourism where we apply a set of principles and practices about giving back to the people. However, with the size and the staggering growth of the industry, even with a 100 per cent success, it will take us many years before we would be able to transform even a small per cent of global tourism.

The question was, why stop with these principles of giving back in the world of nature travel only? From cruise ships to airlines, from city hotels to resorts, when you take the principles once associated with eco-tourism and apply them to the mainstream tourism industry, you have sustainable tourism. Both words come under an umbrella of responsible travel.

Today’s new travellers want to experience the world. From 900-thread-count sheets to rooms with views, they want to feel that their actions will have a positive impact on the planet. And this has given rise to what’s being referred to as the creative economy. At the same time with the staggering growth of travel and tourism – from 842 million international arrivals in 2006 and growing, WTTC’s statistics shows that by the end of the year, one out of 12 people will be employed in some aspect of the travel and tourism industry.

That’s why the Tourism for Tommorrow awards are so important, because we need to be able to demonst-rate those far-sighted leaders and private sector firms partnering with the public sector but who are represen-ting best practices, so the industry can see its way ahead

Have these awards helped encourage real change in Tourism? What is the jury looking for this year?

Each year we have four award categories. The Destination Award is really about destinations of any size – a state, province, region or country, and how all the players in travel and tourism come together in a dynamic private and public partnership to approach tourism from a destination perspective.

For the Conservation Award we look at models where the private sector in particular has demonstrated sound accomplishments on conservation front.

For the Investor in People Award, not only are we looking for organization which hire local people, but for businesses and tourism practices that are building the tourism capacity of local people through self-empowerment, so they themselves are able to advance in future.

The Global Tourism Business Award recognises all these facets, at a destination or local community or conservation level all coming together in one award.

Another factor that sets apart the Tourism for Tomorrow awards from other awards is that Tourism for Tomorrow remains the only global award that verifies the winners with our on-site team of experts for a rigorous inspection and make sure that the people who are actually demonstrating these best practices. That gives our awards an upper hand.

What in your opinion has to be done in the Middle East, with so many construction projects?

I think the Middle East has great promise and has already accomplished some good things, and there are some concerns too. Countries like Jordan have embraced sustainable tourism as a model and are moving ahead to demonstrate that positively. Oman has taken great steps to ensure that tourism development embraces and enhances its cultural heritage with care and commitment to the environment. Dubai was the first company to create a national park, in the Dubai Desert Conservation Area, linked to the model of sustainable tourism which is the Al Maha Resort. It is now a standing example of sustainable tourism and eco-tourism principles being practiced. Yet at the same time, we know there are mega projects going along the coastal areas with some significant damage and concern to the marine environ-ment through rapid tourism growth along the coast.

I would definitely like to see Oman submit applications for the awards next year, since Oman is benchmarking some excellent practises. [It would] bring attention to Middle Eastern businesses in the travel and tourism sector as well as to the government to show that best practises are recognised and can deliver positive attention.

Personally, is the industry doing enough for responsible tourism? What would you like to see?

Fifteen years ago, I wouldn’t have said we could even be this far along. But we still have a tremendous distance to go.

Education to get biggest state budget allocation

JAKARTA(Antara): President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he had agreed to give education the biggest state budget allocation among all state-financed sectors in order to support the improvement of the quality of education in the country.

"The education sector will be given priority and the largest amount of subsidy. Believe me, the government with a clear and rational mind will strive to manage and spend the budget more fairly," he said at a meeting with participants of the 3rd national meeting of the Association of Indonesian Private Universities (APTISI) at the State Palace.

The President, flanked by Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo, Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa, Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, said he had agreed to continuously increase the education budget to fulfill the mandate of the constitution.

According to the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum 2006-2007, Indonesia now ranks 50th out of 125 countries or 19 grades higher than before in the matter of economic competitiveness.

In the same period, the quality of the country`s education system ranks 23rd. "It is improving. Only Singapore and Malaysia rank above us while other Asean countries are below us," the president said.

Indonesia working to fix lights in venue for Asian Cup final

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Technicians were working to boost the power capacity at Indonesia's Soviet-era soccer stadium after a blackout stopped play between South Korea and Saudi Arabia in Wednesday night's Asian Cup match.

"It was embarrassing, no question about that. Everyone was panicking," John Halmahera, a spokesman for the local organizing committee, said Thursday. "But the stadium guys are sure it will not happen again."

The 25-minute blackout late in the second half was the latest snag to hit the event in Indonesia, which is hosting all the Group D matches, a quarterfinal and the July 29 final.

On Monday, hundreds of fans attempted to storm the stadium after failing to get tickets for Indonesia's first home match. The Saudi coach called the state of the training pitches a "disaster" and also questioned the quality of the turf at the 88,000 capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Halmahera said the power went out at the stadium because the electrical system was overloaded.

"They are trying to add capacity now," he said, adding that the Asian Football Confederation had full confidence in Indonesia to stage the final.

The South Korea vs. Saudi Arabia match ended in a 1-1 tie.

Gelora Bung Karno stadium was built in 1962 to host the Asian Games with money from the former Soviet Union, which was then trying to expand communist influence in Asia.

The arena, where former president Sukarno made historic speeches against the West to massive crowds in the 1960s, remains one of the biggest in the region.

Indonesia spent around US$8 million on renovations to get the venue ready for this year's tournament.