Refleksi : Banyak polusi, banyak kemajuan? http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/01/jakarta%E2%80%99s-traffic-pollution-drives-foreign-tourists-away.html
Jakarta's traffic, pollution drives foreign tourists away The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 03/01/2011 1:56 AM | Headlines Rising attraction: Foreign tourists throng to the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta. The landmark has become a favorite destination for domestic as well as foreign tourists. -JP/P.J. Leo There is not much left for foreign tourists in Jakarta. Severe traffic, pollution and little in the way of cultural offerings have dissuaded tourists from coming to the city. It turns out Jakarta, as Indonesia's main gateway, is considered no more than a transit point. Foreign tourists stay one or two days before heading to what they consider more interesting destinations like Bali, Yogyakarta or Lake Toba in North Sumatra. "I arrived here last night and will leave tomorrow morning for Lake Toba," Marry Simone, an American backpacker, told The Jakarta Post on Monday. She was staying in a hostel on Jl. Jaksa, the most popular backpacker haunt in the city. The street is noted in the Lonely Planet series of backpackers' travel guides for its cheap room rates and accessibility. But then Jakarta's traffic put Marry off. "Once we're out of Jl. Jaksa and get to Jl. Thamrin the situation is frustrating. Traffic seems to last all day long and we often lose our desire to explore the city," she said. This was Marry's second visit to Indonesia. During her first visit in 2007 she experienced the same traffic woes in Jakarta. "Based on my previous story I prefer Bali's airport to Jakarta's. Now I'm planning to visit some cities in Sumatra. Since Bali is too far away, Jakarta was my only option," she said. Jl. Jaksa may have an annual celebration termed the "Jl. Jaksa and Betawi Culinary Festival", but the city obviously needs more than one three-day parade in July to retain tourists. "I must say Jakarta is not that comfortable. The pollution is bad and we don't have many things to do here. We don't hear about many places to explore or cultural festivals," German tourist Tom Reigner said. Tom, who was staying on Jl. Jaksa with his wife Audrey, said the city was boring and dirty. "It's the biggest and the busiest city in Indonesia. But smaller and quieter cities like Yogyakarta offer more cultural attractions for us," he said. Audrey said foreigners like her and her husband were more interested in culture. "We look forward to seeing traditional dances and performances in Yogyakarta and Solo," she said. There are currently fewer and fewer people like the Reigners on Jl. Jaksa. Rio Udayanto of the Hotel Asri said the number of foreign guests had declined in the past year, replaced by more local business travelers. "In the past couple of days we have had three guests, all of them were locals," he said. On weekends local tourists comprise 80 percent of the hotel's guests, Rio said. "A few years ago most of our guests were European tourists, particularly French and Germans," he said. Overall, business is slumping in the area. Some locals who opened hostels for foreign backpackers have closed down recently. Some tourist-related businesses were also closing. Ning recently decided to close his used bookstore on Jl. Jaksa. "The business ran well. I even planned to open new branches in Bali and Yogyakarta. But I had to call off my plans because I don't have that many buyers anymore," she said. She has now set up a roadside stall to sell books instead. She rents the spot for Rp 1 million (US$113) for three months. "I still have many books at home. But I can't bring all of them here. The place is not big enough," she said. (lfr) Related News >> a.. Letter: Deadline for Jakarta's traffic b.. 20 tourists missing in Tangkubanparahu c.. Taiwan remains reliable source of Bali's tourists d.. Australia aims to separate pollution from economic growth | | | | | | | | Post Comments | Comments ( 6) blightyboy, Bali | Tue, 01/03/2011 - 22:03pm Oh boy! It takes a while but eventually it dawns of the idiots that be. I mean, how can anybody not realise that discerning tourists do-not want to spend time in a toilet. Jakarta has nothing. Zero! It is possibly one of the worst cities on the face of the planet. Jakarta lacks everything and has nothing, it has not one single attraction that could possibly attract a tourist with even the most mediocre of taste. The only possible exception, maybe sex tourists, mostly pedophiles, but that's it. Jakarta reminds me of one of those broken hell cities depicted in the opening frames of a movie about Earth after a nuclear war has taken place. flag sheldon, Probolinggoe | Tue, 01/03/2011 - 15:03pm Not only foreign tourists. We avoid Jakarta like the plague. The cultural pleasures are far outweighed by the problems there. flag Robby Kaware, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta | Tue, 01/03/2011 - 15:03pm Several years ago, when I was in europe, a local friend of mine showed me a tourist guide book for Indonesia published by a travel agent in Vienna, Austria. Among other heavenly tourist destinations in Jawa, Sumatera, Bali, etc., the book also warns that in most cities like Jakarta, Bandung or Surabaya, travelling on foot or by bicycles are highly not recommended. The reason is because the sidewalks and bike lanes are very limited (if not available at all !), unorganized, dirty, unsafe and far from comfortable. Besides (and this is the most embarrassing !), it is also very dangerous because pedestrians must share the sidewalks with speeding motor cycles and cars who try to avoid traffic congestion on the main roads. Even more disgusting is, sidewalks are very often used as parking space ! I am even more amazed to see how the authorities (police) do not seem to care although they are around. I was so surprised when I suddenly realized that this book was completely true ! No wonder, many foreign tourists are disgusted and turned off by this chaotic situation. Many of them, like Marry Simone in the story above, decide to choose other destinations like Nalaysia or Thailand. flag cessch, jakarta / chicago | Tue, 01/03/2011 - 13:03pm maybe i am crazy. i dont like driving in mechet but i do like the chaos and street vendors of jakarta. and actually there are quite a few cultural places to visit and places that offer dance etc. using google maps and google earth i found quite a lot to do just in selatan setibudi area. tanah abang and nearby textile museum is one interesting example. these places just are poorly promoted. then there is the old town area and the maritime museum and nearby batavia. people are just put off by the fumes from the private buses. that should be corrected as well as cyclists whose motor is tera lalu keras!!!! flag Suri Adnyana, Bekasi | Tue, 01/03/2011 - 13:03pm The Greater Jakarta Police contributes very much in making the frustrating traffic in Jakarta. The police let motorcyclists do whatever they want to do, regardless they violate the law nor they make very much noise. The police looks different when they are looking after toll roads during the weekend. Whatever small violation is, no excuse. Fine. That's Jakarta, a city where people at all level always exercises business principles. flag Mike Coleman, Jakarta | Tue, 01/03/2011 - 09:03am Who in their right mind would come to Jakarta for tourism? Traffic, pollution, no side walks, public transportation sucks, crappy airport etc...go to Bali, Sumatra or Balikapapn but stay away from Jakarta! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! 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