Welcoming Runners, Nurturing Friendships

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A woman drives past signboards for homestays on Thursday (17/10/2019) in the vicinity of Borobudur Temple in Magelang regency, Central Java. Local residents earn a living by providing homestay accommodation to visitors to the region.

The Borobudur Marathon is like celebrating Idul Fitri or Lebaran for the local community. The annual event offers them a means to increase revenue and make new friends. Many welcome the runners by turning their homes into homestays.

Agus, 52, deftly installed ceramic floor tiles at Rochmad’s homestay at Ngaran II hamlet in Borobudur, Magelang regency, Central Java. Agus and his peers were to finish building five additional rooms by the end of October. “Now, [the work] is 70 percent complete,” Agus said on 17 Oct. 2019.

Many homes were being repaired ahead of this year’s Borobudur Marathon, as if the owners were preparing for Lebaran. Some were building additional rooms. Rochmad, 67, for instance, was expanding his homestay from 13 to 18 rooms. The rooms that cost Rp 250,000 (US$17.76) per night were fully booked for the marathon by August.

In the early years of the marathon, however, local residents found it difficult to rent out their rooms to tourists. Sunardi, 72, of Borobudur village, had not even thought to turn the 80-square-meter house he had built in 2015 for his daughter into a homestay.

The house has three bedrooms, one bathroom and a living room. It has no air conditioner or hot water. The mattresses are placed directly on the floor.

“At first, I was not sure, because the house is too modest. It was not built as a homestay. However, a prospective guest convinced me that they had no problems with it,” said Sunardi.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Guests relax on the porch of the Village Economy Hall (Balkondes) on Thursday (17/10/2019) in Magelang regency, Central Java. The Balkondes was established by the Borobudur village-owned enterprises (BUMDses) to drive the local economy through community empowerment.

He first offered the house as a homestay during last year’s Borobudur Marathon, and five runners rented out the entire house for Rp 500,000 per night. Sunardi provided snacks, drinking water, tea and coffee to accommodate his guests.

“Compared to hotels or other accommodation, the facilities [at my house] are nothing. The most we can do is to serve our guests as best as we can,” he said.

Since then, Sunardi’s house, later named Adam Homestay, has seen many guests, especially during the holiday seasons like Christmas, New Year’s, Lebaran and Waisak (Vesak).

I am happy enough when we have guests here. We can talk and share stories with our guests. It’s like welcoming new people into our family.

As the number of its guests increased, the homestay invested Rp 2.5 million and expanded its facilities by adding bedframes, a fan, mirrors, tables and chairs. However, it has not changed its room prices. “I am happy enough when we have guests here. We can talk and share stories with our guests. It’s like welcoming new people into our family,” said Sunardi.

Close ties

Many of the guests maintain warm ties with Sunardi, long after they have gone home. When they return to Borobudur, they return to his homestay.

“In early 2019, a guest stayed here with three friends. During Lebaran, the guest returned with 15 relatives,” he said.

Sunardi was overwhelmed on that occasion, as his homestay had only three beds. He ended up borrowing rugs from neighbors and relatives. The guests who did not have beds to sleep in slept on a rug and did not mind, as they felt at home.

The Borobudur Marathon has brought fortune to 63-year-old Kumaedi of Kelon hamlet. Runners have already booked three of the four rooms in his house. Located only 2 kilometers from Borobudur Temple, his rooms are usually booked during Idul Fitri, Waisak, Christmas and New Year’s.

“I just want to help those who need rooms to stay in,” he said.

Aside from residences, local schools frequently offer impromptu accommodation during the Borobudur Marathon. This includes MTsN 1 Magelang junior high school, a madrassa located right across the Lumbini Park entrance gate. For the past two years, the school has offered 28 of its classrooms to accommodate runners and other participants who were unable to find rooms at homestays.

We do not set a price. We just ask that the school is kept clean when the guests arrive and when they leave.

MTsN 1 Magelang vice principal Suroso said that the desks and chairs were moved along the walls of the classrooms to install carpeting. The classrooms could accommodate 900 guests. “We do not set a price. We just ask that the school is kept clean when the guests arrive and when they leave,” he said.

Increasing

Magelang Tourism, Youth and Sports Agency head Iwan Sutiarso said that the number of homestays and rooms had continued to increase over the last three years. Magelang had 321 homestays offering 967 rooms in 2017, and now had 3689 homestays that offered 1,153 rooms.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

The main stupa of Borobudur Temple rises above a hill in Magelang regency, Central Java, as seen on Sunday (27/10/2019). The government is developing sustainable tourism to boost visitor arrivals to the temple, one of Indonesia\'s main tourist attractions.

The number of homestays had mushroomed as Borobudur hosted more national and international events, including the Borobudur Marathon. The homestays fulfilled the dire need for accommodation, as Magelang did not have enough hotels to accommodate the growth in guest arrivals.

Some marathon runners stay in Yogyakarta instead, including at budget hotels that partner with virtual hotel operator Airy. The budget hotels must meet the operator’s standards, which include hot water, air conditioning, television, clean beds, drinking water, snacks and bathroom amenities. (NCA/XTI/EGI/DKA)