Pope opens private summer apartments to tourists

Yahoo – AFP, October 14, 2016

The papal rooms at Castel Gandolfo, a former summer favourite with popes
 hoping to escape the heat of the capital, have been turned into a museum which
will be officially inaugurated on October 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Vincenzo Pinto)

Vatican City (AFP) - Who needs a summer palace? Not Pope Francis, who has renounced the delights of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome and opened his private apartments to tourists, the Vatican said Friday.

The Argentine has refused the traditional trappings of the papacy from the start, declining to move into the sumptuous papal apartment in the Vatican and plumping instead to live in a hotel inside the tiny city state.

His rooms at Castel Gandolfo, a former summer favourite with popes hoping to escape the heat of the capital, have been turned into a museum which will be officially inaugurated on October 21.

Francis has visited the palace some 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Rome only a couple of times since his election in 2013, and has never spent the night there.

His predecessors John Paul II (1978-2005) and Benedict (2005-2013) often stayed at the site, which has been owned by the Holy See since 1596 and has expanded over the centuries to now sprawl over 55 hectares (135 acres).

Francis opened the estate's gardens to the public in 2014, with tours organised for groups and by reservation only.

Since last year, tourists have also been able to climb aboard a special white train for an express trip to the lavish estate and a tour of the papal villa, including past the pope's organic farm, which houses cows, free-range hens, cockerels and pontifical bees.

Related Article:

Pope Francis rejects rightwingers with US cardinals' appointment

Chinese company outing hits Holland, bringing 4,500 workers

DutchNews.nl, May 29, 2015

Some 4,500 Chinese workers are in the Netherlands for the next few days for a mass company outing, the biggest single group of Chinese tourists ever to visit the Netherlands. 

The group, who will be ferried around the country in a fleet of 90 buses, work for a Chinese company called Perfect, broadcaster Nos reports. 

They are staying in hotels throughout the country including Rotterdam, Delft, Amsterdam and Utrecht, the broadcaster says. In total, the Dutch tourist board expects the visit to generate up to €8m. 

Last year, some 250,000 Chinese tourists visited the Netherlands and the tourist board expects this to rise to 300,000 this year. 

According to RTL news, their number could triple to 800,000 within the next five years. Most are expected to visit Amsterdam, where many city centre residents are worried about the growing number of tourists.

‘It is getting out of hand. There are so many tourists that we can hardly do normal shopping any more,’ Harry Haspers of the local residents’ association told RTL.

Chinese ambassador urges punishment for scam tours in Thailand

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-05-25

Tourists in Pattaya, September 2006. (File photo/Xinhua)

The Chinese ambassador to Thailand, Ning Fukui, said Sunday that responsible agencies of China and Thailand should strengthen punishment for travel agencies that continue to organize zero-fare tours despite complaints, including blacklisting them.

China and Thailand have taken some measures to resolve the issue of zero-fare tours, which have proved effective to a certain extent, but failed to eradicate the practice, Ning said.

The practice of "zero- or negative-fare tours" refers to tour services sold by travel agents at or below cost in order to attract travelers who are later forced to purchase goods or tip agents during their tours.

There have been frequent reports of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand being troubled by such practices.

The Chinese embassy in Thailand has begun to forward a list of travel agencies against which Chinese visitors have filed a lot of complaints to Thailand's tourism departments, in the hopes of deterring the practice by beefing up punishment for one or two of the agencies, according to the ambassador.

Four Countries Reportedly Set to Join List of Visa-Free Travel to Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Feb 04, 2015

A manta ray swims in the waters of Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia's remote
Papua province. (AFP Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesia plans to offer visa-free travel to visitors from China, Japan, Russia and South Korea as a tactic to boost tourist numbers, a report said on Wednesday.

Indroyono Soesilo, the coordinating minister for maritime affairs, told Tempo. co that the four countries would join the existing 19 nations whose citizens can enter Indonesia without a visa.

Indonesia recorded 8.8 million foreign tourists in 2013, a 10 percent rise on the 8 million visitors in 2012.

In 2013 there were 747,921 tourists from China, or 8.5 percent of the total.

Indonesia’s neighbors have proved a more attractive place to visit over the years, due to better marketing and infrastructure and fewer visa restrictions. Malaysia recorded 25 million foreign tourists last year, helped in part by offering visa-free travel for 90 days to citizens of many countries.

Indroyono is also keen to provide incentives for foreign cruise vessels to dock in Indonesia. Seven new docks are in the works, the minister said.

“For example, we will give foreign cruises and yachts permission to park at the dock for 6 months,” Indroyono said.

Digital Marketing To Boost Tourism

Jakarta Globe, Vidya Dahlan, Jan 05, 2015

Indonesia’s newly appointed tourism minister wants to boost the sector via
the Internet. JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal (EPA Photo/Narong Sangnak)

Jakarta. Tourist arrivals grew throughout 2014 but still remain a mere shadow of those for regional competitors Malaysia and Thailand. Now newly appointed Tourism Minister Arief Yahya will use the experience gained from his background in telecommunications to multiply the impact of the country’s tourism marketing endeavors.

Arief is upbeat on promoting digital marketing via the Internet to boost the country’s tourism sector.

In his outlook for 2015, the minister said the digital approach has the capacity to reach out to more people and persuade them to visit the country.

“We will still use the conventional way [of marketing] but it will be complemented with the digital approach. Improvement of soft infrastructure is cheaper and easier compared to improving hard infrastructure such as building new roads,” he told GlobeAsia.

“We are preparing a corporate strategy to make everybody happy. I will seek help from [state telecommunication company] Telkom to provide Wi-Fi facilities at all top [tourism destinations],” he said.

Arief Yahya, Indonesia’s tourism
minister. (Photo courtesy of Telkom)

According to the former Telkom chief executive, who was President Joko Widodo’s choice from several candidates to head the Tourism Ministry, Indonesia needs to promote festivals and interesting events that can engage tourists directly in cultural activities if it wants to boost tourist arrivals to 20 million — an increase of 127 percent from present levels — by 2019.

Hermawan Kartajaya, the founder and president of MarkPlus, a leading marketing professional service firm, believes the target for tourist arrivals is feasible, especially if tourists can get the true taste of Indonesia by being involved directly in events and activities that at the moment are hard to find.

“Efforts to improve infrastructure, roads, airports and others will be useless without this,” Hermawan said.

Differentiation is an essential part of tourism branding and each region should offer its own unique culture through a festival, he said.

“Through festivals, tourists would be able to get three elements: enjoyment, experience and enrichment. Good festivals should woo tourists with all the elements they offer,” Hermawan said, citing three satisfaction levels: “OK,” “aha” and “wow.”

Yanti Sukamdani, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), agreed that it was important to hold events in many cities.

“We can promote sports events such as the Jakarta Marathon or cultural events such as the Jember Festival. However, these sort of events need to be held in various other regions as well,” Yanti said.

Hermawan praised Arief’s move to take advantage of digital technology to promote the country’s potential, saying that it is a small initiative that could bring a quick win.

“Given his background, Arief is well aware of the importance of e-tourism and digital promotions,” Hermawan said.

Improving the country’s infrastructure will take at least three years while digital marketing can be done in a shorter period and with a wider reach, the marketing guru said.

The iWOW app

Elaborating on his programs, Arif is launching an e-tourism promotion, which includes an application called iWOW that  provides information on tourism spots across the archipelago, flights, hotel rooms, how to get to places and promotions.

The application also enables tourists to share their travel experiences with other users and is expected to become an effective promotional tool. It can be downloaded on smartphones and is offered in several languages: Indonesian, English, Chinese and Japanese.

The ministry is working with inTouch Innovate Indonesia and MarkPlus Center for Tourism & Hospitality to release the application.

“The iWOW concept is a low-cost high-impact marketing tool,” Hermawan boasts.

Yanti agreed that digital marketing is an effective and low-cost marketing tool but added that it could backfire if the government does not support it with sufficient infrastructure and accessibility.

“The government has to pay attention to flight frequencies, seat capacity, connectivity, and accessibility because it could backfire if all those aren’t ready. We can’t just promote our tourism potential and then leave tourists disappointed due to lack of infrastructure,” she said.

Regulations to go

To achieve his target of 20 million tourist arrivals in the country by 2019, Arief will revise regulations considered to have stalled growth and encourage investment in the sector. His first step is to offer a visa-free facility to citizens from five countries as of 2015: Australia, Japan, China, South Korea and Russia.

“We will revise several regulations that have [become a] hindrance in order to improve services in tourism, including one that’s related to tourists’ visas. If the visa-free [regulation] is in place, we’ll be able to increase tourist arrivals by up to 10 percent with just this one regulation,” Arief said.

“I will also revise regulations to improve services. Tourists feel more comfortable with good services and that will increase visits to Indonesia. This would eventually also increase our foreign exchange,” the minister added.

With improved services and infrastructure, Indonesia will improve its tourism competitiveness ranking from number 70 in the world to enter the top 30. That would mean the sector could contribute up to Rp 240 trillion ($19 billion) or 8 percent of gross domestic product by 2019, up from Rp 120 trillion and 4.2 percent currently.

Hermawan agreed that the visa-free policy could serve as an effective measure to increase tourist arrivals.

“It’s too bad we’ve only been able to attract some 800,000 Chinese tourists to the country,” he said, pointing to one area where numbers can grow dramatically.

Yanti meanwhile said the government should start promoting other tourist destinations as Indonesia is blessed with vast tourism potential. Eastern Indonesia in particular offers much for marine tourism. The Tourism Ministry can support the program by developing marine tourism, especially in regions such as dive havens Derawan (East Kalimantan), Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi), Raja Ampat (West Papua) and others, she said.

That means Indonesia needs more ports for passengers, hotels and restaurants to accommodate tourists, according to Arief.

“We should have ports that can accommodate cruise ships. When we talk about building ports, we should also talk about hotels and restaurants near the ports.”

Yanti adds that the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector is prospective. But, she stresses, that will require training.

“MICE should be handled by professionals. It’s important to have people with the skills and expertise to handle MICE,” she said.

Investment

Indonesia needs to invest in hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and recreation centers in order to attract more tourists to the country, Arief said.

Speaking to GlobeAsia on the sidelines of the signing of a memorandum of understanding at Indonesia Tourism Investment Day (ITID) in Jakarta recently, he said more opportunities were needed to bring together investors, both domestic and foreign, and regional governments to discuss opportunities.

The minister added that during his first week in office he had already sent letters to the ministers of transportation and public works with a list of 88 strategic tourism areas in Indonesia that need the government’s support.

“Investment in tourism is better than in manufacturing, including automotive,” Arief argued, because it creates more jobs. Investment in the tourism sector should not only be offered to investors but also to government institutions.

Based on GlobeAsia research, Indonesia still needs 120,000 hotel rooms, 15,000 restaurants and 10,000 travel agents. It also needs 300 world-class theme parks, 2,000 diving operators, 100 ports and various other supporting tourism facilities. That provides plenty of opportunity for investors.

Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Franky Sibarani, who attended the MoU signing, said he hoped the tourism sector could continue to grow and attract global attention.

Jakarta to Offer Free Bus Tours of Capital’s Historic Sites

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, January 14, 2014

Five new double-decker buses arrive at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta
on Jan. 13, 2014. (JG Photo/Lenny Tristia Tambun)

The Jakarta Tourism Agency welcomed the arrival of five double-decker tour buses Monday night as the capital, long listed as a sight best left unseen on a visit to Indonesia, began an aggressive push to double the number of foreign tourists visiting the city.

“We thank God that Jakarta will finally have city tour buses,” tourism head Arie Budhiman said as the buses arrived at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta. “We hope with the double-decker tour buses that Jakarta will have a different thing to offer than other towns [in Indonesia]. Hopefully Jakarta will become more attractive and draw more visitors.”

Jakarta logged 2.3 million foreign tourists last year, an 8 percent increase over 2012′s figures, but still short of Governor Joko Widodo’s five-million tourist goal. The capital’s administration spent Rp 17 billion ($1.4 million) to purchase the fleet of buses from China. It plans to expand the fleet to include as many as 20 buses in the near future.

“With the support of the governor, who is very tourism conscious, I’m optimistic that the target [of five million visitors] can be reached in three to five years,” Arie said.

The tour buses will offer visitors a free ride through the capital, stopping at sights like the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, Kota Tua, in North Jakarta, and the Blok M shopping hub, in South Jakarta. Each air-conditioned bus can hold 60 passengers and includes television screens that will be used to show a tourism video.

Bus service will begin a trial run on Thursday, with full service going into effect by the end early February at the latest, Arie said.

Jakarta may feature a rich colonial history, but the capital’s congestion and pollution, combined with poor maintenance of its museums and historical sites has done little to help its appeal to foreign tourists. The popular guidebook company “Lonely Planet” describes the capital as “a hard city to love. One of the world’s greatest megalopolises, its grey, relentlessly urban sprawl spreads for tens of kilometers across a flood-prone plain with barely a park to break the concrete monotony.”

The guidebook later lists several sites, including Kota Tua and Taman Ismail Marzuki, as popular locations, calling the city an “essential” stop for travelers looking to experience all Indonesia has to offer.

Tourists in India told to avoid 'human safaris' as row widens

Since Gethin Chamberlain revealed how Andaman Islands tribes people were being bribed and bullied into 'performing' for tours, India's government has taken up the cause of ethical tourism. But some travel companies still offer titillating trips to remote areas to see their indigenous people

Joanne O'Connor: do homework before booking 'cultural tour'

guardian.co.uk, Gethin Chamberlain, Saturday 21 January 2012

Andaman Islanders 'forced to dance' for tourists. Link to this video

They are holidays billed as an opportunity to enter another world, a chance to see the world's last primitive tribes up close in their natural environment.

The brochures tease and at times, critics say, titillate. Take the Delhi-based Aces Indian Tours, which invites visitors to travel to see the Bonda people, an ancient tribe found in the remote hilly regions of the state of Orissa. The website breathily offers to provide an insight into utterly different lives. "On the northwest of river Machkund", it states, "live the wildest, rudest and possibly the most interesting tribe known as Bonda Tribe. The scanty dress of the Bonda women and homicidal tendency of Bonda males make them most fascinating people."

It is this kind of exotic invitation that has now come under unprecedented scrutiny in India, raising ethical issues that also apply to similar tours in other remote regions of the world.

Every year, thousands of western tourists visit India in search of the exotic. But two weeks after an Observer investigation exposed the degradation of "human safaris" in the Andaman Islands – which are in Indian territory – the country's travel industry has entered a bout of soul-searching. The Observer exposed video evidence that Jarawa tribeswomen had been bullied into dancing for convoys of visitors on the islands' main road. The reaction has been furious. Sonia Gandhi, leader of the ruling Congress party, has taken a personal interest in the 400-strong Jarawa's fate and is understood to be frustrated by the lack of action to protect them. At a meeting last week of the powerful National Advisory Council, which she chairs, members denounced the "deplorable situation of the exploitation of the Jarawa tribe".

The investigation has now prompted the home minister, P Chidambaram, to demand the interrogation of those responsible. He has flown to the Andamans to tell officials there to act swiftly to prevent further abuse of the tribe. Tribal affairs minister V Kishore Chandra Deo said: "It's deplorable. You cannot treat human beings like beasts for the sake of money. Whatever kind of tourism is that? I totally disapprove and it is being banned."

But what about elsewhere in India, and in other parts of the world? In the case of the Jarawa, there is little doubt that the tribespeople have been exploited by unscrupulous locals and insensitive visitors. Elsewhere, ethical lines are usually more blurred, but the risk of damaging contact with vulnerable communities is very real.

In 1989, India introduced the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in an attempt to protect indigenous communities from "indignities, humiliations and harassment". But with the number of tourists across the world expected to hit a billion this year and previously inaccessible places beginning to open up for more and more people, how close should travellers be allowed to come to vulnerable communities?

One of the most popular destinations in India is Orissa, where tour operators promise sightings of the insular Bonda when the tribespeople leave their homes to go to a market in the village of Onkadeli. Entry into the Bonda's own villages is illegal: the tribe do not invite attention and many dislike being photographed, but the market offers a way to view them, and the tours continue. Even the state tourist board uses images of the tribe in its adverts.

Royal India Holidays, with offices in India and the US, offers a tribal tour of Orissa where it promises tourists can "see the lifestyle of tattooed, heavily beaded, nearly naked tribal people, their day to day activity and their extremely primitive way of living".

The company says it is recognised by India's ministry of tourism. Its brochure describes a trip to the Jeypore area of Orissa: "After breakfast, an excursion to the nearby hills where most amazing and fierce Bondas Tribes (naked people) reside. They are also known as Remo meaning 'people'. The Bonda are generally semi-clothed, with the women characterised by the wearing of thick silver necklace bands. The tribe is one of the oldest and most primitive with their culture little changed in over a thousand years. The best way to view members of the tribe is by going to local markets held every Thursday."

Company owner Newton Singh told the Observer that most tours in Orissa focused on the tribes. He said he believed that the company was operating within the law but it relied on local agents in Orissa. He said he understood the objections and would review the tours. "I don't want to do anything against the laws of humanity," he said.

Bhubaneswar-based Dove Tours offers a tour of Orissa in which, it explains, "the area we visit is the home of the approximately 6,000 members of the fierce Bondas (naked people). They live in the remote hills and keep themselves isolated … They can only be seen when they come to trade at the local market, and we must time our visit to coincide with the weekly market day."

Gagan Sarangi, speaking for the company, said it operated within responsible guidelines and only dealt with tourists who would respect the tribe. He said foreign tourists were barred from the Bonda's area, but it was still possible to spot them in the markets. "We are totally against any kind of unethical practices in the tribal area," he said.

Survival International, which campaigns on behalf of tribal peoples, is sceptical that such a high-minded approach is reflected by what takes place on the ground. The charity's director Stephen Corry said: "We are now in the 21st century, not the 19th. Colonialism should be a thing of the past. Tribes are not cultural relics, nor should they be treated like animals in a zoo.

"They are not ancient or backward, but adapting like everybody around us to a changing world. This should entitle them to the same rights and freedoms as the very tourists who are taking their photographs.

"Promoting tours by using derogatory terms such as 'primitive', and advertising their 'nakedness', shows a clear lack of respect."

Corry said tour operators had no right to promote tribal people as a tourist attraction. "Forcing them to dance in return for sweets and biscuits, for the amusement of onlookers, is only possible where they're viewed as somehow less than fully human," he said. "Sadly, the existence of human safaris in the Andamans is not isolated, but replicated in other areas of India. It is crucial tourists boycott such unethical 'attractions', so there is no fuel in the market to drive such tasteless practices."

Association of British Travel Agents spokesman Sean Tipton said the travel industry recognised the necessity of regulating and monitoring interaction between tourists and tribes. "Customers should always seek permission before taking photographs of indigenous people, or indeed any local people. This is a matter of courtesy and cross-cultural sensitivity."

Sue Ockwell, for the Association of Independent Tour Operators, was also keen to emphasise that its member companies were against the sort of "tacky tourism" seen in the Andamans. "The aim of Aito is to ensure that host destinations and local people at tourism destinations benefit from tourism as well as those who take tourists," she said.

"Unfortunately, exploitation does still occur – from child prostitution to the type of practice described in the Andamans. It requires action by UK tour operators and associations such as Aito and Abta and it also requires action by governments in the destinations affected. It is only by working together that this sort of business can be stamped out."

Clearly, though, more needs to be done. Blogging about a visit to Onkadeli, one tourist noted that the attention of tourists was clearly unwelcome to some of the tribal people: "There were a few tourists around (including myself) and truth be said, it all felt a little rude and intrusive! Some of the adivasis [indigenous tribes] were clearly uncomfortable with camera-wielding tourists, so I started to only take pictures with their permission. This would almost always result in my having to part with 10 rupees [about 13p]!"

British travel firm Audley Travel, winner of three Guardian-Observer travel awards for best small tour operator, offers tours to Orissa in which it promises sightings of the Bonda tribe, despite acknowledging that photographing them may be banned. The company said it firmly advocated responsible tourism and only took individuals or couples.

"They are accompanied by tour guides who are well briefed on the cultural sensitivity of the situation, particularly photography. Our clients themselves are intelligent, informed travellers whose last intention would be to 'gawp' at local people."

Meanwhile, in the Andaman Islands, police say they have made some progress in identifying those responsible for filming the video publicised by the Observer, which is now believed to have been shot in September or October of 2008. "The police team is questioning several tour operators and taxi drivers of the city in an effort to track down the source of the video," said S B Tyagi, superintendent of police. Officers have raided several shops in the town in an attempt to seize videos of the Jarawa that have been circulating among tour operators and which are sold to tourists.

Police announced on Thursday that a senior officer had been placed in charge of monitoring the road and said they had arrested two tour operators named in the Observer report.

The lieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bhopinder Singh, has been ordered to take action to prevent further exploitation of the Jarawa. Tribal affairs minister Krishna Chandra Deo described the incident as "disgraceful and a shame on all of us" and said the tribe should be treated as humans, not aliens.

As the country digests the implications of the scandal, Corry said tourists considering visiting tribal areas needed to think very carefully about the long-term effects on tribal peoples, instead of the "fleeting thrill of the experience or the glory of the story once back home".

Related Articles:

Signs of America's racial past

Australia set to recognise Aborigines as first people of continent

Australia's Aborigines can be discriminated against under 
sections 25 and 51 of the constitution. Photograph: Gary Calton

.

Yogyakarta to offer volcano tours in Merapi area

Antara News, Monday, December 6, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Yogyakarta administration and the local travel agents` association are preparing a tourism package offering volcano tours to tourists, an official said.

"We are still discussing the possibility of promoting volcano tours to tourists with the Sleman district administration," chairman of Yogyakarta`s travel agents association Edwin Ismedia Himna said here on Monday.

Edwin said the volcano tours would be included in a tourism package titled "Go Jogja." The package was an effort from both the local government and the travel agents` association to promote Yogyakarta`s tourism after the Mount Merapi eruptions last month.

"Our staff is still evaluating the best and safest stops on the volcano tours in the Pakem, Kaliadem or Cangkringan areas," he said adding that he would start promoting the volcano tour package after the government had lowered Mount Merapi`s danger status to the safe level.

Meanwhile, the secretary to the Directorate General of Marketing at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Winarno Sudjas, expressed his support for the idea of conducting volcano tours in the Mount Merapi area.

He said the tours could become a new attraction for tourists and also help the local government lift up Yogyakarta`s tourism business after the Mount Merapi eruptions.

Earlier, the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) on Friday (Dec 3) morning had lowered Mount Merapi`s danger status` from beware to alert level.

Based on visual observation and monitoring using special instruments, it can be said that Mt Merapi`s activity has dropped, the center`s chief, Surono, said.

However, he asked local people to remain aware of a possible threat from the volcanic activity such as hot clouds and cold volcanic mudflows in several rivers whose upper reaches were located near Mt Merapi`s peak such as the Boyong, Gendol and Kuning.

Surono advised people, especially those living near the rivers, to remain alert toward possible cold volcanic mudflows since Indonesia was still in the rainy season.

"An early warning device has been set up in the rivers to detect mudflow floods," he said adding that some 150 million cubic meters of volcanic materials had recently settled in the Boyong, Gendol and Kuning rivers.

Mt Merapi, the world`s most active volcano, had erupted repeatedly in the past two months but its most fatal eruptions occurred on Oct 26 and Nov 5.

At least 259 people had perished and many others sustained burns and became displaced by the eruptions.

The total number of refugees being sheltered in 639 refugee centers in Yogyakarta and Central Java reportedly reached 367,548.

Related Article:

RI tourism to emphasize eco-cultural attractions in 2011

Lake Sentani tour attracts foreign tourists

Antara News, Saturday, July 31, 2010 20:49 WIB

Beautiful Lake Sentani

Sentani, Papua (ANTARA News) - More foreign tourists have profound interest in the ongoing Lake Sentani Tour Package as part of Lake Sentani Festival 2010.

"Because of Lake Sentani Tour Package, many foreign tourists at present are visiting Papua to enjoy the natural beauty of the lake in Sentani, Jayapura district," Lake Sentani Festival committee chairman Ana Sawai said here on Saturday.

She said every day many foreign tourists visit Lake Sentani and it surrounding villages.

The foreign tourists, according to her, actually wanted to visit Wamena but because of vigorous promotion about Lake Sentani Tour Package, they came first to Sentani to visit tourist villages such as

Tablanusu, Bukisi, and Pantai Amay before proceeding to Wamena.

Themed "Loving Culture for Our Future," Lake Sentani Festival (LSF) from June 19 to 23, 2010, did attract many many domestic and foreign tourists.

Jayapura district head Habel Melkias Suwae said this year`s event of Lake Sentani Festival was the third since its first one held in 2008, and served as a year-long gateway for the tourism industry in the Indonesian easternmost province, Papua.

In 2008, the Papua Tourism Office organized the first Lake Sentani Festival from July 16 to 19 that year to support the annual Lembah Baliem Festival in Jayawijaya district.

Since then, the Lake Sentani Festival was held as an effort to protect the culture of Jayapura district, especially at the areas around Lake Sentani.

Located some 75 meters above sea level and surrounded by beautiful hills, the 3.63-hectare Lake Sentani is a perfect place for fishing, swimming, canoing, skiing, and other kinds of water sports.

"No wonder, Lake Sentani Festival will serve as a year-long gateway for the tourism industry in Jayapura district specifically and in Papua province in general," Habel Melkias Suwae said.

It means, he said, that in this case tourism would strengthen the identity of the people of Papua, preserve their traditional and cultural values, step up their economy.

Therefore, Habel added that the Jayapura district administration would make every effort to develop the attractive villages around Lake Sentani to constantly attract as many tourists as possible.

Lake Sentani Festival

Related Article:

Beautiful Scenery of Lake Sentani & Festival

Preserving Papua`s Culture, Traditional Arts

Antara News, Tuesday, Otniel Tamindael, June 8, 2010 15:25 WIB

Jakarta, June (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s easternmost province of Papua is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and unique culture and traditional arts.

Yet economically, the Papua people`s standards of living lag far behind those of their brothers and sisters in other parts of the country.

The central and regional governments have already made various efforts to improve the Papua people`s standards of living and preserve the province`s resources and cultural heritage, but so far without optimal results.

It is a non-governmental organization, the Asmat Progress and Development Foundation, that has shown a serious commitment to preserving the local cultural heritage and raising international awareness of and support for the progress of the Papuan people.

No wonder Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu once said the abundance of traditional art potential in the province needed serious attention and thea gentle touch of professional and skilled hands.

Suebu said skilled and professional people with a vision of the future were encouraged to explore, develop, and save the plenteous Papua traditions and cultural arts from extinction.

"Not only that, Papuan traditional arts really have precious market value, and they also support the future of the province`s tourism sector without the risk of losing their specific characteristics," the governor said.

Suebu said from both written and electronic media he saw that various traditional arts from different ethnic communities such as Javanese and Balinese were developing well in comparison to those from Papua.

But he was of the opinion that the progress of traditional arts from other provinces was because they were part of education at elementary schools until universities.

For example, the Papua governor pointed out that in Java and Bali there are Higher Education of the Arts in Surakarta (STSI Surakarta), and Bali Arts Institute.

"In Papua we are actually rich in our traditional arts but unfortunately we lack human resources to develop them, in spite of the fact that Asmat traditional sculptures have crossed the mountains and oceans to hit international markets," Governor Suebu said.

According to him, seminars on the Asmat culture accompanied with tribal dance performances and woodcarving exhibitions has been held in many countries.

The seminars on Asmat and its tribal dance performances were conducted in overseas countries with the aim of promoting interest and understanding for the Indonesian Unity-in-Diversity culture.

Various efforts of the government and non-government organizations aimed at the development, conservation and utilization of the Asmat territory`s natural and environmental resources were also discussed in the seminars for the purpose of improving he social welfare of the people in Papua.

"Therefore it should be our common consideration and awareness as Papuan ethnic community to save our own cultural heritage," Governor Suebu said.

It was only last Friday that the governor installed the new administrators and supervisors of Bina Seni Budaya Papua foundation, namely Septer Manufandu as chairman, and Dominggus Rumadas, Habelino Sawaki, and James Mayor as members.

Governor Suebu then called on them to understand and to implement their respective tasks well, and make a good cooperation among them in a bid to save the local culture and traditional arts from extinction.

Preservation and promotion of Papua`s culture and traditional arts are also made through a so-called Lake Sentani Festival (FDS) which has been organized twice in the two consecutive years from 2008-2009, and the third of its kind will be staged from June 19-23 this year.

"Themed `Loving Culture for Our Future, Lake Sentani Festival (LSF) from June 19 to 23, 2010, will try to attract as many domestic and foreign tourists as possible," Jayapura district head Habel Melkias Suwae has said.

He said various preparations had been made for this annual cultural festivity.

Habel said this year`s Lake Sentani Festival would serve as a year-long gateway for the tourism industry in the Indonesian easternmost province, Papua.

In 2008, the Papua Tourism Office organized the first Lake Sentani Festival from July 16 to 19 that year to support the annual Lembah Baliem Festival in Jayawijaya district.

Since then, the LSF was held as an effort to protect the culture of Jayapura district, especially at the areas around Lake Sentani.

Located some 75 meters above sea level and surrounded by beautiful hills, the 3.63-hectare Lake Sentani is a perfect place for fishing, swimming, canoing, skiing, and other kinds of water sports.

"No wonder, Lake Sentani Festival will serve as a year-long gateway for the tourism industry in Jayapura district specifically and in Papua province in general," Habel Melkias Suwae said.

It means, he said, that in this case tourism will strengthen the identity of the people of Papua, preserve their traditional and cultural values, step up their economy.

Therefore, Habel added that the Jayapura district administration would make every effort to develop the attractive villages around Lake Sentani to constantly attract as many tourists as possible.

"This year`s Lake Sentani Festival is themed `Loving Culture for Our Future` because whoever loves and preserves traditional and cultural values, will also prepare the future of the future generation," Habel said.

Nehemia Yoku, a local resident of Sentani district said that although the festival was still about two weeks to go, foreign tourists had started arriving in the provincial city of Jayapura for the cultural event at Sentani lake side.

In Kalkote village where the festival will be held, some 20 foreign tourists in the past few days were seen enjoying the natural beauty of Lake Sentani.

"Some of them hire small boats of the local people to cross the lake and visit the surrounding villages," said Nehemia.

He added that some 20 tourists from various countries had come to the lake at Kalkote village and enjoyed its natural beauty.

He said many pavilions had been set up at the festival arena to exhibit various art works and home industrial products during the cultural event.

Related Article:

Jayapura police launch manhunt for 26 escaped prisoners

Jakarta’s Catholic history out on display

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 05/20/2010 10:49 AM

One small piece of yellowed paper has become one of the biggest attractions at the Cathedral Museum, Central Jakarta, for the sinister message it carries: “We will shoot the Pope in the neck”.

The letter, which was sent to Jakarta Cathedral several weeks before Pope John Paul II’s visit to Indonesia in 1989, is among the collection of hundreds of historic items on display at the cathedral’s current exhibition.

Located on the second floor of the Jakarta Cathedral, the museum, which was inaugurated in 1991, tells the history of the Catholic church in Indonesia.

Some of the oldest items include several 200-year-old books on baptismal registration during Dutch-colonial era, a 17th-century clock that also tells the day and date and a series of photos documenting the cathedral’s construction in 1901.

However, the museum’s most famous item may be an image of the cathedral painted on dried banana leaves by Kusni Kadut, a criminal who made headlines in the 60s after committing a series of antique art robberies, including one in 1961 from the National Museum, Central Jakarta.

Kusni, a paramilitary during the Indonesia’s war of independence, was finally sentenced to death in 1980, after robbing and killing an Arab businessman in Kebon Sirih area, Central Jakarta. He converted to Catholicism while in jail.

Despite its extensive collection, the museum has only seen a few visitors due to limited opening hours and a lack of promotion.

According to Hadi Wahyu, one of the museum’s caretakers, the museum is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Every third Sunday of the month, the museum is open between 12 noon and 2 p.m.

“Even members of the cathedral’s congregation haven’t visited the museum,” Hadi told The Jakarta Post.

The cathedral’s spokeswoman Graece Tanus suggested would-be visitors or tourists groups contact the cathedral if they wanted to stop by in its museum or requesting tour guide assistance.

“Only four people are assigned to handle the museum and the opening hours are tight. So we want to make sure that all visitors receive good service,” she said.

“It’s all free,” Graece added.

Earlier this year, the Culture and Tourism Ministry launched the “2010 Visit Museums Year” campaign to promote the country’s cultural sites.

Climbers Rescued in Papua After Calling Beijing for Help

Jakarta Globe, February 05, 2010

Papua's Puncak Jaya. (Wikimedia Photo/Alfindra Primaldhi)

Seven Chinese hikers have been rescued after reportedly being abandoned by their guides on a descent from Indonesia’s tallest mountain.

The climbers were returning to their camp from Puncak Jaya peak, also known as Mount Carstensz, in Papua province when they had a falling-out with the guides for unknown reasons, according to Chinese state news site cctv.com.

The climbers called Beijing on a satellite phone to say they had been left on their own and their food supply was running low. Local law enforcement officers ‘went all out’ to find the group, according to the website.

The group reportedly included a former coach of the Chinese Mountaineering Team and at least two members of the media.

Standing more than 5000 meters tall, Puncak Jaya is known as a demanding climb requiring some basic rock-climbing skills. It is surrounded by rainforest, and most organized expeditions allow four or five days of hiking merely to reach the mountain from the nearest settled area.

Busy Jakarta Street Offers Slice of Art Heaven

Jakarta Globe, Ade Mardiyati, February 02, 2010

Wito, in his kiosk, was the driving force in turning a sidewalk near Pasar Baru into a tourist attraction and artistic hub. (JG Photos/Ade Mardiyati)

A world away from the marble-tiled galleries where classical music plays solemnly in the background, this dusty corner of Central Jakarta is home to portrait artists who eke out a living from their craft.

But what the line of kiosks lacks in high-brow ambience, it more than makes up for in talent and heart.

Located just across the street from the Pasar Baru shopping complex, on Jalan Kesenian, the “gallery” stretches the entire length of a tree-lined and shady sidewalk.

In the early 1980s, long before Jakartans became obsessed with Facebook and e-vites, a handful of skilled artisans earned their living creating greeting cards on the side of the river near the Pasar Baru gate.

“But then, in the early 1990s, people started to lose their passion for sending greeting cards as technology became more readily available,” says Wito, a 43-year-old portrait artist, who also heads the area’s Kelompok Pelukis dan Penulis Indah (Painters and Calligraphers Group).

“The place then turned into an area for artists who did portraits and caricatures.”

Wito says that in 1999, the local administration “cleaned up” their old location, relocating the artists to the area they now occupy. Wito and his colleagues were not happy about the move.

“They gave us big umbrellas and we worked and displayed our stuff underneath them,” Wito says. “You can imagine how hard it was for us, especially when it rained. So I decided to call all the artists here together to construct semi-permanent kiosks. And we did it, without asking permission from local officials.

“I didn’t really care about the risk. To get a permit, you would have to go through all the bureaucracy. I thought we could deal with it later.”

Thanks to Wito’s enthusiasm, the area, which consists of 29 kiosks — some housing more than one artist — received official recognition in 2007. It is now one of Jakarta’s tourist attractions.

“Anything related to our existence here, or when we are invited to exhibit our work, is discussed during our meetings,” Wito said.

An array of portraits and caricatures of famous people — from actress Ayu Azhari to former anticorruption czar Antasari Azhar — rendered in pencil and paint on paper and canvas, are on display at the kiosks. US President Barack Obama seems to be a favorite, with his image available at almost every kiosk.

These street artists may occupy spots approximately the size of a walk-in closet, but they manage to attract countless clients, from everyday tourists to CEOs of companies. Their works of art, depending on the size and material used, sell for anywhere from Rp 100,000 to Rp 5 million ($11 to $535).

Inside Wito’s bale lukis , or painting hall, beautiful portraits adorn the plank walls, including one of Tien Suharto, the wife of former President Suharto, which the artist did when Suharto was still in power. Wito says that a few years ago, one of the strongman’s grandchildren asked if they could buy the portrait. Wito asked for Rp 15 million, but the potential buyer never came back.

The artist also has a portrait of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. “I painted that before he became president,” Wito says. “Besides that one, I did another one of him that was ordered by his son Agus and actress Anisa Pohan before they were married. It was for Pak SBY’s birthday. They were very nice people. I was even invited to the wedding.

“What made me feel special was knowing that I was still included on the guest list, which was cut down from 5,000 to just 2,000,” he adds.

Meshadi, another street artist, still remembers delivering the portrait of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to her office. “I didn’t meet her in person,” the 40-year-old says. “I think it was her assistant who met with me.”

Meshadi sits on a plastic chair inside his kiosk, his left hand holding a photo of a man, while his right hand busily flits across the canvas. Meshadi likes to talk as he works.

“Clients will sometimes tell me that they want to look more beautiful or thinner in their portraits,” he says with a smile. “It’s a normal request. And I’m happy to do it.”

Meshadi and Wito, like some of the other artists in the area, used to work 9-to-5 jobs. In the end, though, they simply felt like they did not belong there. “I lied quite a lot, calling in sick when I started to get tired of my job” Meshadi says.

He spent three years at a shipping company before deciding to capitalize on his artistic talent and strike out on his own.

“I’m very happy with what I do for a living now and I’m glad that I made the decision to quit working [at the shipping company],” the father of four says.

Wito says, “When I was still working for someone, my boss had the same schedule as me and I just felt it wasn’t right. With this job, I have the freedom to decide whether I want to go to my ‘office’ or just stay at home. And I don’t have to feel guilty.”

Meshadi says he doesn’t know exactly how many clients he has each month, but that he has enough to make a living.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo is a former client who bought one of Meshadi’s paintings during a 2008 exhibition for street artists. “The governor chose the painting I did out of all the paintings of him that were on exhibit,” the artist says. “It was a picture of him wearing his uniform, sitting in his office.”

While Meshadi and Wito both consciously made the decision to become self-employed, Didit Kadito was a victim of the massive layoffs in 1998. “I had been working as a full-time illustrator for a tabloid, did freelance work for Majalah Kartini [a well-known magazine for women] and illustrated books of folktales,” the grandfather recounts.

He was eventually able to adjust to the change and now enjoys what he does.

“This area may look a bit quiet, but thank God people are always coming,” he says, adding that his client base is comprised mostly of foreign tourists looking for depictions of Indonesian culture and employees looking for a gift to give their expatriate bosses who are returning home.

Didit says that he has a minimum of 15 to 20 orders in a month.

“I’m not disclosing how much I charge because every one here most probably charges differently,” he says, when asked about the going rate for his paintings.

He adds that all of the artists have their own trademark style, which makes one different from the next. This, he says, is the reason for the differences in how their portraits are priced.

“Like me, I am known for doing caricatures with distortions, like those in Time magazine. Other people have their own unique selling points, too.”

Wito says he tries to maintain a good relationship with the local officials in the area and tourists by keeping the area clear of traffic and free of trash and street vendors.

“Since they have let us stay here, let’s give something back,” he says. “This is one of the city’s tourism areas so we should try to maintain it.”

Artist contact information:

Wito, Kiosk No. 13, Tel: 0815 977 2209, 021 4288 1870

Meshadi, Kiosk No. 25, Tel: 0812 840 7829

Didit Kadito, Kiosk No. 11, Tel: 0815 828 8954