Il drago di Komodo si può facilmente trovare sull’ isola di Komodo

Per imparare più circa potenziale di turismo dell’Indonesia, richiami i punti culminanti dei motivi su perchè dovreste studiare la possibilità fortemente di visitare l’Indonesia ed investire nell’industria del turismo dell’Indonesia progettando attraverso il nostro “Affascinante Indonesia” — disponibili in versione italiana e inglese. Sotto una rapida descrizione dei contenuti della brochure:

Affascinante Indonesia:

I. Eco-Turismo Naturale
II. Siti per le Immersioni
III. Surf Breaks
IV. Parchi Nazionali
V. Turismo Culturale
VI. Vulcani
VII. Visti

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In order to learn more about Indonesia’s tourism potential, retrieve highlights of reasons on why you should strongly consider visiting Indonesia and investing in Indonesia’s tourist industry by scheming through our “Fascinating Indonesia” brochure — available in English and Italian. Below are quick descriptions of brochure’s content.

Fascinating Indonesia:

I. Nature Eco-Tourism
II. Dive Sites
III. Surf Breaks
IV. National Parks
V. Cultural Tourism
VI. Volcanoes
VII. Visa

Indonesian President SBY discusses with Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos SP. Kyprianou issues pertaining to efforts to strengthen bilateral relationship and cooperation, as well as on exploring new opportunities. In 2010, trade volume between Cyprus and Indonesia reached US$ 18,125 million. Additionally, realized Cypriot investments in Indonesia reached the value of US$ 10,597 million.

Jakarta. Indonesia and Cyprus were preparing an agreement on tourism to support both countries’ plan to cooperate in the sector, Indonesian Presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said here on Wednesday.

The spokesman made the statement after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with Cyprus Foreign Minister Markos SP.Kyprianou at the State Palace.

He said that both sides now were preparing a Memorandum of Understanding in the tourism sector to support the cooperation.

“We note that they have been interested in cooperation in the tourism sector,” said Faizasyah,

During the meeting, the economic issue was also discussed, he said.

Indonesia targets 7.7 million foreign tourist arrivals this year after the country exceeded foreign tourist arrivals of 7 million people last year. The government expected them to spend 8. 4 billion U.S. dollars this year, higher than that of last year at 7.6 billion U.S. dollars.

To boost the arrival, Indonesia needs to step up cooperation with more countries.

The number of foreign holiday makers visiting Bali, the center of the country’s tourist industry, rose by 16.81 percent to 208, 300 in January, year on year, the Statistic Bureau announced on Tuesday.

The Indonesian tourism industry has recovered from the impact of terrorism, and epidemics.

Source: Xinhua – 2 March 2011
Photo: Presidential Palace

Giving thanks to the Almighty: Residents of Nglurah village, Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Central Java, carry food offerings a round their ancestral cemetery as part of the dukutan ritual.

Surakarta. It’s not every day you see hundreds of residents from two different villages at each other’s throat for 10 minutes, followed by everyone laughing together as if nothing had happened.

In fact, it only occurs every seven months (based on the Javanese calendar of 210-day cycles), on a Tuesday, in the wuku (seven-day period) of dukut, one of such 30 periods in the calendar, to be more precise. This ancient ritual still takes place in Central Java, and goes by the name of dukutan.

Dukutan consists of a full-on brawl between two neighboring villages, which originated in the legend of a warrior couple living on the slopes of Mt. Lawu near Surakarta also known as Solo, Central Java, centuries ago.

As the story goes, Narotama, the invincible chief minister of the Kahuripan Kingdom, set up a village after wandering through the wilderness.

An invulnerable young woman named Nyai Roso Putih happened to live in a village opposite Narotama’s new settlement.

When Narotama and Nyai Roso Putih finally met, the two couldn’t help but fight each other, dragging their communities into a fierce battle almost daily.

The protracted feud took a turn of its own as the two young belligerents fell in love with each other. The couple soon realized their mutual affection would bring peace to both villages. So they tied the knot and were both installed as chiefs of Nglurah village, and named Kyai Menggung and Nyai Menggung.

This legend, which has been passed on from generation to generation, has given birth to the mass fighting ritual of dukutan observed annually by residents of Nglurah, Tawangmangu district, Karanganyar regency, Surakarta. Two hamlets in Nglurah, Nglurah Lor in the north and Nglurah Kidul in the south, take part in this ritual.

A joyful event: Dancers entertain the crowd during the ritual of dukutan in Nglurah village, Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Central Java.

Before the mass fight, villagers prepare offerings such as vegetables and corn, which are cooked on firewood stoves and cannot under any circumstance be eaten. The offerings are then brought to the house of village elder Parto Sentono, to receive his blessing.

Why Parto Sentono? Because locals believe he is one of Kyai Menggung’s direct descendants, therefore should be responsible for making sure the tradition lives on.

So, on the eve of the ritual, which took place in mid September this year, the 70-year-old was meditating in his room at home, begging the ruler of the universe for a safe and smooth dukutan this year.

“Dukutan is a manifestation of our gratitude to the Almighty God for the health, security and peace we have enjoyed,” said Parto Sentono before conducting the ritual.

A number of young villagers were handpicked to join the mass fight. Nearly all adults were involved in the most colossal event of the year, which included a procession.

Prayer time: Villagers pray at the cemetery dedicated to Kyai and Nyai Menggung in Nglurah village, Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Central Java, before the procession and mass fight start.

The ritual began around 6 a.m. Fighters from the two camps walked around the Menggung cemetery. During the procession, both sides threw offerings at each other while distributing them to onlookers. As the temperature rose, village elders herded the fighters to an arena near the tomb.

By then, thousands of people from both hamlets had gathered to watch the fighters donned with ancient costumes, heirlooms and holding banners.

As fighters from the two villages stood opposite each other, making provocative statements to build
an atmosphere of enmity, several dancers appeared in the arena to ease the tension.

But it was time to fight. The two camps attacked and chased each other, traded blows and hurled stones or chunks of wood at each other. Although the brawlers knock each other about, they are not allowed to feel vengeful.

“This mass fight is part of the village’s cleansing ritual to get rid of negative energy. Through dukutan, residents can unleash their frustration toward each other and all the angst and bad feelings will be cleared up after,” explained Parto Sentono.

The clash near the cemetery lasted for 10 minutes at most, with hamlet fighters beaming with laughter soon after, as if nothing had happened. No one held a grudge. The ritual just served as a way of bringing about peaceful relations and tolerance among villagers, as well as maintain a tradition reminiscent of their forefathers’ unique expression of love.

Source :  The Jakarta Post - Surakarta – 13 October 2010

East coast of the Bali island

Denpasar. Foreign tourists visiting the Island of God, Bali, had increased 12 percent to 1.3 million in June 2010, compared with the same period in 2009, said Bali Tourism Observer Dewa Nyoman Putrawan.

Most of the foreign tourists come to Bali to seek calmness which they can`t get in their own country, he said here Tuesday.

The condition is indicated by the number of the foreign tourists staying at hotels or villas on riversides or slope which are mostly found in the rural areas.

Dewa mentioned that the tourist`s behavior has been changed since the 1980s. Foreign tourists used to stay at the holiday inn near the beach like Kuta, Sanur and Nusa Dua.

Nowadays, they like to stay at the villas in the rural areas, which had changed the land function to the extent of 1,000 hectares every year.

I Wayan Munut is a pioneer of golf tour in Bali who built a hotel at Ayung River ravine in Kedewatan, 30 kilometers north of Denpasar and his idea is growing.

Many tourists, both local and foreign, like to stay at quiet and peaceful inns of ravines which had caused priced to soar, even more expensive than in urban areas.

Dewa, who is experienced in guiding foreign tourists, remembered that the price of land at a ravine in the 1980s reached Rp. 175,000, 00 per hectare, but now it reached hundred of millions of rupiah per hectare.

Therefore, it is not surprising that foreign businessmen bought land in valleys and ravines then built hotels not only for the local people but also for promotion overseas, he said.

Source: ANTARA News — 24 August 2010

Dreamland beach, Bali.

Denpasar. Bali has won “The Best Leisure Destination in Asia Pacific” award from the Business Travellers Asia Pacific magazine based in Hong Kong, a tourism official said.

The award would be presented to the Bali provincial government at Contrad Hotel in Hong Kong on September 10, Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office Ida Bagus Subhiksu said here on Monday.

Subhiksu said his office would coordinate with the Bali Tourism Board (BTB) to decide who would represent the local government to receive the award.

“We hope that Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika will have a chance to go to Hong Kong to receive the award.
He is good at Mandarin language so his presence will help promote the Bali tourism before hundreds of invitees there,” he said.

The award will be the second received by the province this year.

Earlier, Bali also received “World Best Island in Asia 2010″ award from Travel and Leisure magazine based in New York.

Bali`s success to win awards as best resort island for the umpteenth time would no doubt boost the province`s tourism industry, he said.

“The award was mostly likely inspired by the film titled Eat, Pray, Love (EPL) which stars Hollywood actress Julia Robert,” he said.

Source: ANTARA News – 24 August 2010

“So far, we have opened several routes such as Baubau-Makassar, Baubau-Surabaya and Baubau-Ambon,” he said here on Monday.

The mayor said that the Bali-Baubau roue would be opened because many foreign tourists from Bali to Baubau had to make a transit first at Kendari`s Haluoleo airport before flying to Baubau.

“I have consulted with several airline companies such as Lion, Wings and Express Air. They welcomed the plan to open the route to make it easier for the tourists to visit Baubau from Bali,” Amirul Tamin said.

He said that the Bali-Baubau flight route would be opened at the end of 2010 at the latest.

Source ANTARA News — 23 August 2010

Ngurbloat beach or Pasir Panjang beach in Ngilngof village.

Kei Islands, Maluku. Located directly under the “bird head” of Papua, the Kei Islands encompass a number of small islands with Kei Besar and Kei Kecil (big and small) being the biggest islands in the group. Kei Besar may be bigger in size but it is the Kei Kecil that has a larger population.

Our plane landed at Dumatubun Air Force Base on Kei Island. A commercial airport is currently under construction and is expected to be ready by 2012.

The island is known for its white sandy beaches. One of these beaches worth visiting is Ngurbloat Beach in Ngilngof village. Local natives call this beach “Pasir Panjang” or the long sandy beach.

On a recent sunny Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit this beach. The white sand felt as soft as baby powder beneath my feet as I walked along the coastline. Wearing sunglasses is strongly recommended as the white sand of the beach reflects the sunlight strongly.

So clear was the sea that people on the beach could see the gradation in the seawater’s colors, from crystal clear to aquamarine and then to stronger hues of blue as it goes deeper.

On the weekends, the beach bustles with locals relaxing after a week of work. Some people swim in the shallow waters while others strolled.

Despite being remote, life at Ngurbloat is not as modest as we assume. In fact, there was a family who enjoyed its fast ride on a jet ski.

Thanks to the beauty of nature, Ngurbloat has big potential to be developed into a world-class resort, but for the time being, only locals manage the area. In their modest ways, these people erected gazebos and small food stalls along a pathway flanked with coconut palms and other vegetation.

Traditional snacks and beverages are offered at the stalls, including thinly-sliced fried bananas served with sambal and coconuts the vendor picks directly from the tree after an order is placed.

If you prefer to go for a pristine beach, you might find Ngur Sarnadan Beach more to your liking. Located in Ohoililir village, Ngur Sarnadan is not far from a fishing village.

At Ngur Sarnadan there are long rows of bamboo tables onto which fishermen usually place their catch.

No, not fish, but seaweed. While I stood there waiting for the sunset, one fisherman was cleaning a long rope he used at his seaweed farm.

With a road system almost encircling the island, it’s not difficult to explore and find a favorite beach. My favorite beach was the thickly vegetated crescent-shaped beach in Madwaer village. It is a perfect getaway for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. And the good thing is that there isn’t any cell phone signal in this area.

After a swim in the sea, you can clean up at Goa Hawang, a freshwater cave in Letvuan village. A guide told me that this cave is around 100 meters long and people can explore only by putting on a mask and snorkel. In local language Hawang means ghost so prepare yourselves for the unexpected. Another legend surrounding the Kei Islands is that of Ken Dedes, a Singosari princess who sought refuge to in the islands to escape from the invading Majapahit soldiers. Locals believe the tomb of Ken Dedes is on Kei Kecil.

Local also believe Dedes had a daughter named Nen Dit Sak Mas, who became a queen and codified a new set of law Larvul Ngabal. This law has seven articles concerning treatment of criminals, respect of women and civil law.

The Larvul Ngabal law continues to have an important role in the Kei Islands, having prevented a religious conflict affecting the entire Maluku in 1999. One of the truisms in the law that help prevent the conflict is that Kei people come from the same chicken egg and breathe with the same gills.

Muslims and Christians share the Kei Islands as their home, although the latter is larger in number.

Mosques and churches stands next to each other, and women wearing the Muslim headscarf could be seen sitting next to women wearing a cross.

Goa Hawang, a freshwater cave in Letvuan village.

Christianity entered Kei Islands in the early 1900s, and recently several villages celebrated the religion’s centennial anniversary in the islands. Wab village celebrated this milestone in 2007.

At the highest point of Kei Kecil, there is the Cross Path and a statue of Jesus Christ opening his arms towards the sea. Locals are extremely friendly. Once I bumped into a group of schoolchildren walking home, and every one of them greeted me with a smile and said “Good afternoon” to me.

For food lovers, the Kei Islands is known for its seafood, mostly served fried or grilled. For vegetarians, sautéed papaya flower is another specialty and while the staple food of Kei people is rice, they also consum sago and enbal (made from cassava).

The best way to enjoy sago and enbal is to dip them into hot water and wait a few minutes before eating them. You can also replace hot water with tea, coffee, milk or soup, as long as it is hot.

For whatever reason you finally go to the Kei Islands, for business or pleasure, you will certainly leave them with the wish to return.

Tips

• Currently, only three airlines fly to Kei Islands, Wings Air, the subsidiary of Lion Air (www2.lionair.co.id), Express Air (www.expressair.biz) and Trigana Air (www.trigana-air.com).
• If you are flying to the Kei Islands from Jakarta or other cities in Indonesia’s western time zone, you’d better take enough rest before the flight given the two-hour time difference.
• You can find public minivans serving long routes across the island. But for your own convenience, better rent a car or a motorcycle from locals, as almost public minivan drivers have an inexplicable penchant for turning up the volume of their car stereo.
• If you want to remain connected, consider switching to Simpati, Indosat’s Mentari or IM3 provided by Telkomsel as those three GSM services are currently available in the area. However, not all areas on the islands are covered.
• While the Kei Islands is supposed to be in its dry season in July, torrential rains often hit the islands without warning. Sunglasses, blockout and a waterproof hooded jacket are essential.

Source: The Jakarta Post – 8 August 2010

Jakarta. More than 3.38 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia in the first half of 2010, up 14 percent from the same period last year, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said.

In June 2010 alone, more than 613.4 thousand foreign tourists visited the country, an 11.41 percent increase compared to the same period last year, BPS Chief Rusman Heriawan said here on Monday.

Compared to May, the number of tourist arrivals in June slightly rose 2.23 percent, he said.

The number of tourists visiting Bali via Ngurah Rai Airport in June 2010 reached 224.7 thousand, an increase of 12.07 percent compared to June 2009 or 12.68 percent to May 2010, he said.

The rise in the number of tourist arrivals in June raised the average occupancy rates of star-rated hotels in 17 of the country`s 33 provinces to 53.37 percent, up 0.73 point compared to June 2009 or 2.15 point to May 2010, he said.

On average the foreign tourists stayed at the star-rated hotels for 1.96 days in June 2010, down 0.04 day from June 2009, he said.

The BPS also noted that the number of domestic air passengers in June reached 3.5 million, an increase of 0.43 percent from a month earlier.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign-bound air passengers in June rose 14.06 percent to 867.3 thousand compared to the previous month.

In the January-June 2010 period, the number of domestic and foreign-bound air passengers increased 20.99 percent to 20 million and 25.96 percent to 4.5 million respectively compared to the same period last year.

Source: ANTARA News – 2 August 2010
Photo: National Geographic

Do not disturb: A bull walks on a grassy field in Cidaon, Ujung Kulon, Banten. Visitors are advised not to make any noise near the animals.

Unjung Kulon. Banten. It was before sunrise when we arrived by bus in Sumur village, Banten. The six-hour trip from the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) office in Jakarta was quite exhausting. The bumpy ride on damaged roads made us forget the prospect of a sound sleep.

The coastal village is the gateway to Ujung Kulon National Park. The sky was gradually brightening, and fishermen were appearing from the sea aboard their boats of various sizes; a number of traders, mostly women, were waiting on the beach.

We were heading for Peucang Island located in Panaitan strait, around three hours sail from Sumur village. But with no terminal, the two ships that were to take us could not berth properly so we used smaller intermediary vessels to board.

“No terminal is built so as to enable locals to share the earnings from ecotourism by hiring out their boats,” said Mirza Sharz from Koperasi Gema Umat (Kagum), a cooperative established to boost the area’s tourist industry.

Kagum was founded in 1999. The local people, comprising mostly of ship and boat owners, caterers, coral transplant farmers and artists are affiliated with this community-based ecotourism management partnership.

Brown water journey: WWF supporters paddle along the Cigenter River.

The ships we boarded had already been modified to carry tourists, each with a seating capacity of 20 passengers including luggage.

As the vessels were sailing, the sea was fairly calm and the wind not too strong, the weather was moderately warm. These conditions made for favorable sailing, but in no way guaranteed a total exemption from seasickness, however.

We stayed at a resort on Peucang Island. It was a stilted building primarily made of wood. Though
the house was not properly maintained and rather damp, it certainly did not dampen our spirits — the resort stood amid forest trees and a number of wild animals. When we arrived, monkeys, deer, boars and lizards were roaming around the vast yard of the house, while more creatures were playing on the roof.

“It’s amazing. I can watch animals at zoos in Europe, but here I can see them directly in their habitat. They’re our hosts and we become their guests,” said Irina Slykova a member of our group from Russia.

She was visiting Ujung Kulon with two friends. It was their first journey to the tropical world. “At the time our choice was either Portugal or Indonesia. We had often toured Europe, so Indonesia seemed more exotic. And now we’re here!” she said.

We spent our time exploring two stunning locations around Peucang Island. In Tanjung Layar there
are the ruins of a Dutch beacon, a colonial look-out, and its supporting building which looked like a
prison. Tanjung Layar is a steep coral slope projecting toward the Indian Ocean and forming the western tip of Java. It’s hard to imagine who was once condemned from afar to this barren jail.

Only 10-minute sail from Peucang Island is the grassland of Cidaon. Bulls and peacocks show up on the plain at around 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“You’d better not make any noise or they’ll run away,” said Nazla Mariza from WWF as we were walking about 200 meters from the Cidaon terminal to the grassland. The warning was not fully observed,
but we kept approaching — the closer the better.

The next day we left Peucang Island for Badul Island. It’s a small island with white sand surrounded by clear blue waters. You can walk around its perimeter in only 80 steps.

Queen of the South Seas: Former Miss Indonesia Nadine Chandrawinata (center) and WWF volunteers transplant coral in the seas near Badu Island, Ujung Kulon.

The island waters are developed to offer beautiful views of underwater scenery, snorkeling and
diving — the ecosystem is maintained through frequent coral transplantation. This was the main reason for our visit to Ujung Kulon.

As soon as coral reefs grow and expand, fish and other marine biota gather there.

We bought corals from Paniis village. Residents have been selling it there for a long time, at around Rp 10,000 per shoot. WWF has recommended that local people, mostly farmers, reproduce coral reefs so as to avoid land reclamation by deforestation, and also to gain extra income.

“When they realized ecotourism turned out to bring profits, they found their sea ecosystem had been damaged, thus prompting them to strive for its conservation,” said Andri Crespo, WWF’s Coastal and Ecotourism officer in Ujung Kulon.

So far the sea waters of Ujung Kulon have been harmed by marine biota hunters in various ways to secure their hauls that sell at high prices on domestic and international markets.

“They come from nearby regions, particularly Jakarta and Lampung,” Mirza said.

We had the opportunity to watch a lesung (rice mortar) dance and martial arts, whilst also learning to carve Java rhino statuettes and make batik from the Taman Jaya villagers. The wood used for the rhino sculptures comes from the waste of housing construction and furniture making, leaving the local forest unscathed.

“Ujung Kulon is complete. Its forest has flora and fauna, its sea has marine biota and its community retains local culture. Sadly, tourism in Indonesia generally has minimum publication. Just compare it with Malaysia, which intensively promotes its tourism in the media in Indonesia,” said Chairil Anwar, a WWF supporter from Cikampek, West Java.

Cruising along Cigenter River by canoe was our last activity before returning to Jakarta. Though unfortunately we didn’t see any pythons hanging from riverside trees, the whole experience reaffirmed those old-forgotten principles of taking nothing but pictures, leaving nothing but footprints and killing nothing but time.

Source: The Jakarta Post — 17 July 2010

The Indonesian Shopping Centers Association (APPBI) chief, Stefanus Ridwan, said that this year, the festival aimed to promote Jakarta as a shopping mecca that would make domestic shoppers think again before holidaying overseas.

“We used to target Jakartans only, but now we also target potential shoppers in other cities,“ he told reporters on Tuesday, adding that many Indonesian shoppers spent trillions of rupiah in other countries every year.”

He said the one-month great sale festival targeted Rp 7.2 trillion, a 20 percent increase on last year’s anticipated earnings.

“This festival is supported by 69 brands at some 1,200 outlets as well as small and medium enterprises,” Ridwan said.

Chairman of APPBI Jakarta chapter Andreas Kartawinata said the committee added the world festival to emphasize the jovial festivity offered in the 67 participating shopping centers to mark the city‘s 483rd anniversary and color the school holidays.

He said every shopping mall would feature various cultural, social and other lifestyle-related events, including culinary shows, live entertainment, fashion shows, shadow puppet festival and late night shopping.

The city introduced the shopping event in 1982, when it was known as the Stores Festival.

In 1985, the event was dubbed the Discount Party, later on in 2005  it was changed again into Jakarta Great Sale before becoming the Jakarta Great Sale Festival this year.

Governor Fauzi Bowo is scheduled to launch the opening festival in Central Park shopping center in West Jakarta on June 18.

Meanwhile, mayors in the other four municipalities would also launch the event at Atrium Mall in Central Jakarta, Mall of Indonesia in North Jakarta, Arion Mall in East Jakarta and Blok M Plaza in South Jakarta.

“As many as 33 malls in the city will launch fireworks simutaneously to mark the festival’s opening,” Andreas said.

Andreas added the event would be recorded in the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI).

The City Secretary Assistant for Economic Affairs Hasan Basri said the Jakarta Great Sale Festival was expected to help boost the city’s economic growth.

“We hope the economy grows by more than 6 percent this year after slumping to 5.01 percent last year due to the impact of global economic crisis,” he said.

Ridwan said poor promotion still overshadowed the development of retail industry in the city.

“We should show that Indonesia isn’t only home to arts, culture and stunning landscapes, but also an advanced retail industry,” he said.

Next year, Andreas said, the Jakarta Great Sale Festival would set a more serious target on overseas visitors as competition against neighboring shopping hubs Singapore and Malaysian capital city Kuala Lumpur.

“The high class products in Singapore may have lower prices than those in Jakarta due to more lax tax policies, but we guarantee the middle and lower class products are cheaper here,” he said.

The shopping festival in Jakarta is held at the same time as the Great Singapore Sale, which runs from May 28 to July 25.

Source: The Jakarta Post – 16 June 2010