In Jakarta
VISIT Indonesia 2008 should not be just the tourism ministry's project.
Poor service at Indonesia's international airports linger. Yet, airport service is undoubtedly a key success factor for the Visit Indonesia Year programme, and this would be the job of other ministries that oversee airport operations.
Earlier this year, the main highway between downtown Jakarta and the country's main international airport was flooded after just a few days of rainfall. Traffic was completely blocked for a few hours. It's hard to imagine this being allowed to happen during a Visit Indonesia year, and one wonders if the programme had been a consideration for the state-owned highway operator.
Then there's the infamous Jakarta traffic.
Friends who have lived both in Bangkok and Jakarta say traffic jams in the Indonesian capital have surpassed those of Bangkok.
But when it comes to security, Jakarta is not at all as bad as some foreign media have depicted it to be. There are security problems in the slum areas in the city, but I think this is also the case in most other metropolitan cities. Security in Jakarta has improved tremendously, though not health and hygiene - the city is still marked by poor sanitation, disposal system, and lack of good hospital service.
Still, there's a lot in Indonesia to see.
Bali is undeniably one of the best tourist places, as it offers so much things - beaches and exotic culture. Bali is also the most developed tourist place in Indonesia. Then again, this may be construed as a problem: The government and entrepreneurs have been paying excessive attention to Bali, sometimes forgetting all the other potential tourist areas.
So here are my recommendations:
- Bukit Tinggi's Ngarai Sianok valley in West Sumatra would be a great attraction if Indonesia developed the area. It's a pity there isn't a single five-star hotel in such a beautiful place, let alone proper transport to get there. Caves once used by the Japanese as prisons add a historical value to the mountainous Bukit Tinggi area.
- Papua's Raja Ampat is another forgotten tourist attraction which is a good alternative to other beach resorts. But like Ngarai Sianok, proper transport and a decent place to stay are hard to find.