Slowly but surely, tourist sites affected by natural disasters are reemerging, with the 2020 New Year celebration serving as momentum for the revival.
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Kompas/Priyombodo
Visitors take pictures in a shopping center in the Grogol area, West Jakarta, Sunday (29/12/2019). Shopping centers that provide a variety of things, including food stuff, are still a favorite destination for people to spend Christmas and New Year holidays.
Slowly but surely, tourist sites affected by natural disasters are reemerging, with the 2020 New Year celebration serving as momentum for the revival.
LOMBOK, KOMPAS — Several tourist sites hit by recent natural disasters are now in preparation for 2020 New Year celebrations. The changing of the year serves as an opportunity for local tourism businesspeople to boost tourist visits.
Among the disasters that hit tourism sites were the Sunda Strait tsunami in December 2018 that hit beaches in South Lampung regency in Lampung as well as Serang and Pandeglang regencies in Banten. Also in 2018, earthquakes hit Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
The earthquake in Lombok last year hit not only tourism but also all aspects of local life in NTB.
Today, NTB’s tourist industry has blossomed again. Popular tourist sites such as the Gili islets (Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan and Gili Air) in North Lombok regency; Senggigi Beach in West Lombok regency and Mt. Rinjani and Kuta Mandalika in Central Lombok are filled with tourists again, both on weekdays and holidays.
Tourist site managers, hotel owners and restaurateurs are preparing to greet 2020. “Gili is ready to welcome tourists celebrating the New Year,” Gili Indah village acting head Suburudin said on Friday (27/12/2019).
According to Suburudin, one year after the earthquake, tourism in the three Gilis had recovered around 80 percent. “Physically, we have recovered. Damaged buildings have been repaired. Now, it’s about how to increase the number of tourists,” Suburudin said.
The New Year celebration will be an important opportunity to revive NTB’s tourism. “This is an opportunity for locals to show that everything has gone back to normal,” Suburudin explained.
Gili Trawangan’s Vila Ombak Hotel sales marketing manager Lalu Jaufirrahman said the hotel had prepared various activities for hotel guests and other tourists on New Year’s Eve, including a gala dinner, a fireworks display and live music.
Other hotels in Gili Trawangan, such as James Bungalow, chose to greet the New Year with simpler events, such as preparing two or three trumpets in every room as a form of appreciation toward guests.
Tourism businesses on Minang Rua Beach, South Lampung, also use New Year’s Day to attract as many tourists as possible. Last year, the beach was devastated by the Sunda Strait tsunami.
At the time, almost all assets on the beach, including dozens of gazebos and food stalls, were destroyed. Locals had built the assets, valued at Rp 300 million (US$21,508.53), with hard work and sweat.
The disaster did not discourage locals, who then rebuilt the tourism facilities using their own resources. Now, all the damaged facilities have been repaired. There are even additional facilities, including new accommodations and parking areas.
Minang Rua’s Bahari tourism-aware group secretary Rian Haikal said that tour managers were preparing an event themed “Injak Balik Minang Rua” (Revisit Minang Rua) on 29-31 December 2019. The event, which aims to attract tourists to revisit the beach, will be filled with various activities, including a photo exhibition.
“Through the photo exhibition, we wish to display how the beach looked like before the tsunami, just after the tsunami and after renovation. We wish to tell the tourism-aware group’s journey in taking care of the beach,” Rian said.
Slower
In Karangbolong and Carita beaches, Banten, buildings that were hit by the tsunami are now restored.
Damaged tourism attractions in Karangbolong and Carita beaches have been repaired. Road access have been reestablished.
However, tourism revival has been slower. More time is needed to revive the region’s tourism and bring it back to the way it used to be before the disaster. Tourism visits in Karangbolong and Carita are not yet as high as it used to be.
“Before the tsunami, the beach was more crowded. The parking area was filled with vehicles and cars. Now, tourism has recovered but it does not look like before the disaster,” said Sainan, 21, a Carita resident who rents banana boats on Lagundi Beach, Carita.
The Banten branch head of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI), Achmad Sari Alam, said occupancy rates in starred hotels and villas in tsunami-affected areas remained at 20 percent. There is hope that the local administration will help boost tourism to attract more visitors.
