It has been two weeks now since Saturday, May 27 when a 6.2 scale earthquake struck Bantul, a region of Yogyakarta province…
It has been two weeks now since Saturday, May 27 when a 6.2 scale earthquake struck Bantul, a region of Yogyakarta province some 25 kms south of the city of Yogyakarta (both city and province have the same name).
Casualties to date have been reported at over 6000 killed, 20,000 injured, and over 200,000 made homeless.
The earthquake destroyed several towns and many villages throughout the province of Yogyakarta. Although Bantul regency, a region filled with small craft villages, suffered the most, the earthquake also affected other parts of the province and the city of Yogyakarta in varying degrees.
Following the earthquake, there was an immediate relief response by Indonesian authorities, organizations, and individuals to cope with the disaster as well as a strong international outpouring of aid by many members of the international community.
General situation
- Immediate relief needs are being seen to, with tents, blankets, basic medical supplies, food, and water being widely distributed to the victims of the earthquake.
- The local and regional hospitals, supplemented by international medical teams and supplies, are by and large now coping with the sudden influx of large numbers of injured people. In the first days, there was no room and many patients had to be seen outside – and many also chose to stay outside for fear of aftershocks. But as of today, virtually all patients who still need treatment are indoors.
- Aid has arrived from the four corners of the globe for which the people of Yogyakarta and Indonesia are immensely grateful. Large Hercules transports still arrive daily at Yogyakarta airport bringing in relief teams and supplies from more than 32 countries.
- The overall relief effort is being coordinated by provincial and national authorities and a state of emergency has been declared allowing the army to send in troops and equipment to aid the relief effort. Already, as the first stages pass, some relief teams from overseas are planning to depart this week.
- Light tremors and aftershocks are still occurring from time to time in the province making people nervous but causing no additional damage to date.
- The nearby volcano, Mt. Merapi (situated some 20 kms north of the city of Yogyakarta) is still in the danger stage with periodic eruptions of clouds of ash and gas running up to 4 kms down its slopes. More than 7000 people from communities lying within the danger zone have been evacuated when the volcano first moved into the “danger” stage on May 15.
- The city of Yogyakarta has returned to normal and visitors arriving who were not aware that an earthquake had struck would think the situation is as usual –whether driving around the city, going to malls and restaurants, or seeing the bustling street activity it is hard to believe that a disaster had so recently occurred some 30 minutes drive to the south.
Tourism Sector
Tourism is a key economic sector for Yogyakarta, providing employment and income directly and indirectly to thousands of people in the province. The Bantul region, for instance, where the earthquake did the most damage and where loss of life has been greatest, is home to hundreds of craft villages that make souvenirs, arts and crafts for the tourism sector throughout Indonesia.
In response to the crisis to the tourism sector caused by the devastating earthquake, public and private tourism stakeholders in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces joined together under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia, Mr. Jero Wacik to found the “Java Crisis – Tourism Media Centre” under the banner “Java Tourism Care” on Sunday, May 28 – one day after the earthquake occurred.
The mission of this voluntary organization is to assist in the relief and recovery of the people, companies, and organizations working in the tourism sector in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces and to keep the world informed as to the progress being made to return Yogyakarta to its normal status as an important cultural tourism destination, the heartland of Javanese culture.
The Center’s immediate work in the first few days following the earthquake was to assist in the rescue efforts by distributing blankets, tents, food packages, sanitary supplies, and other much-needed materials. The Center also set up five mobile medical vans to travel to the worst-hit outlying efforts, each van equipped with a doctor, nurse, and basic medical equipment.
However, as the situation slowly returns to normal, and as rescue efforts turn to long-term recovery, more and more of the Center’s efforts are focusing on damage assessment, coordinating physical rehabilitation and repair efforts between government and the private sector, and planning programs to restore Yogyakarta’s image as a top cultural tourism destination.
A summary of the status of the tourism sector is:
Estimated total loss: The estimated total loss to date including physical damage plus loss of tourism income is estimated to be over US$1 billion.
Airport: Yogyakarta Adisucipto airport runway has already been repaired and scheduled commercial flights are functioning normally. The damage to the domestic terminal is under repair but the international terminal is now handling both domestic and international arrivals.
Hotels: The damage to the 34 star-rated hotels in Yogyakarta range from severe to none. The Center’s web-site contains full details of each hotel’s status, number of rooms available, and repairs needed (as appropriate). In terms of current occupancy rates, all the star-rated hotels that had little or no damage are almost all fully occupied.
Star – Rating:
3 – 5 star hotels:
Number of rooms normally available: 2682
Number of rooms saleable as of this date: 1446
Percentage of rooms saleable as of this date: 53.9%
1 – 2 star hotels:
Number of rooms normally available: 652
Number of rooms saleable as of this date: 529
Percentage of rooms saleable as of this date: 81.1%
The members of Java Crisis – Tourism Media Center, who come from many different communities, private sector organizations, NGOs, and government departments, are meeting regularly to review the current situation, respond in a practical way to changing needs, and plan future recovery programs to restore tourism in Yogyakarta to its normal status.
In terms of overall policies and programs leading to recovery, Mr. Sapta Nirwandar, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has been assigned by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jero Wacik, to be his point man to work with the Center and is an active member of the Executive Board. He has noted that tourism is a multi-sectoral enterprise and it will need the combined efforts and coordination of many government ministries working closely with the provincial authorities, local communities, NGOs, and all elements of the private tourism sector to carry out this vital mission.
In terms of bookings, many hotels and travel agents are reporting the welcome news that most of their clients have postponed their planned trips to Yogyakarta rather than cancel them, and they are expected to return during the high season of July and August.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
