Islam is Bad for Tourism September 7th, 2006, in Religion, Cities & Regions,
Islam, Bali, Maluku & Ambon, Lombok, by Patung
Attempting to forbid sinful activities, such as drinking, harms the growth
of tourism in Muslim areas.
Luthfi Assyaukanie mentions the success of Hindu dominated Bali in developing
a thriving tourist industry, and compares it with the lack of such success of
the Muslim dominated Ternate and Tidore islands in North Maluku, and also
Lombok, both places being able to lay claim to having many of the tropical
charms that normally would see sun-seeking foreigners with too much spare time
on their hands beating a path to their doors, bringing along with them lots of
money.
Not only beachside attractions distinguish Lombok and Ternate-Tidore but they
are also places full of history. Interestingly, Lombok, like Bali, was once an
important centre of Hindu learning and culture. While Bali held on to its Hindu
heritage, and thrived, Lombok abandoned it in favour of Islam, and did not
prosper, in terms of the travel industry at any rate.
Ternate and Tidore, in the Moluccas, near the island of Halmahera, have not
succeeded at all in the tourism area, says Luthfi, while Lomboks limited
success can be put down to its proximity to Bali - it has merely taken the
overflow from the Island of the Gods and cannot take any credit for having
done so.
Foreign tourists like to drink alcohol, says Luthfi. But on the little
islands of Ternate and Tidore there are few places, if any, where degenerate
westerners can indulge their weakness for the demon drink, or get hammered,
in colloquial terms. Luthfi met with some people on the islands, people who all
said, when asked, that they would welcome the development of a tourist
industry. But, when asked about the existence of cafes or bars they said that
such places as had existed had all been shut down by the local branch of the
FPI (Front Pembela Islam). One person said:
There used to some [cafes and bars] but they were all torn down. Recently
one has opened but they [the owners] are still afraid to operate.
(dulu ada, tapi semuanya sudah dihancurkan. Baru-baru ini ada satu kafe
didirikan, tapi masih takut beroperasi.)
Luthfi, in Islam, Turisme, dan Toleransi, says the citizens of Ternate,
Tidore, and Lombok, and other Muslim areas that would like to build a tourist
industry, should learn from the tolerant attitude of the Balinese, that is,
that in order to enjoy the benefits of tourism the various consequences have
also to be accepted.
www.indonesiamatters.com/674/islam-tourism/
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