Letters: Boosting eastern Indonesia tourism
It is encouraging to see (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 29) that Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik plans to revitalize Indonesia’s tourism industry, so it is timely for a plea to be made to him not to forget the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), in particular the now-defunct international air link between Kupang and Darwin.
During the 1990s, Indonesian carrier Merpati serviced the route twice a week, and near-full flights were the norm, popular with backpackers - usually well-heeled - plying the tourist highway down through Southeast Asia, and back again, grateful for the quick and convenient “bridge” between Timor and Darwin.
Kupang locals with family and friends in Darwin, and surfers, Australian and international, on their way to and from the world-class breaks at Nemberala on Rote, complemented the passenger lists. A fast ferry service now exists between Kupang and Baa on Rote, making a visit to Timor’s neighboring island today even more attractive.
The Rotenese need a substantial boost, with the news that their vital seaboard industries of fishing and seaweed harvesting are already suffering greatly from the effects of the Montara oil spill in the Timor Sea. This scourge seems not to be confined to Rote, with thousands of livelihoods under threat along the south coast of West Timor.
The international tourism industry is traditionally plagued by many adverse effects, most of which are thankfully lacking in today’s scenario. Political uncertainty keeps people away. The future for Indonesian tourism in this respect has never been brighter. Worldwide economic instability sees less spending on non-essentials, like holidays. Those days seem to be well and truly behind us.
The future for Kupang itself has never looked better either. Around mid June, 2010, the planned Bounty Boat expedition will arrive in Kupang. The brainchild of Australian adventurer Don McIntyre (see www.Bounty Boat.com) the voyage, more than 3,700 nautical miles in an open boat from Tahiti to Kupang will retrace the famous voyage of Captain William Bligh and eighteen others in a 25 foot open boat from the scene of the Mutiny on the Bounty, landing at the same Kupang beach, albeit this time with just three other crew.
Bligh was perhaps Kupang’s most famous visitor and the occasion will be a unique opportunity to showcase the West Timorese capital to the world. To have a reestablished direct Darwin to Kupang air link by then would be a distinct advantage. It is reported that a new player has emerged in the Indonesian aviation industry. Enggang Air Services (EAS) plan to boost services to eastern Indonesian, eventually to NTT and Papua.
The whisper has been around among Darwin yachties for some time now that the world’s super yacht community was looking for new playing fields, having grown tired of their usual haunts such as the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that they could be lured to the NTT and the Spice Islands. All it would take is an investment of a few million dollars in necessary infrastructure, a small problem which could be taken care of by the Northern Territory’s capital Darwin, where it has long been mooted that a super yacht base should be established.
A direct Darwin to Kupang air link then will be not just an asset, but a necessity. Shakespeare wrote, all those years ago “there is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” High tide is now.
Ian Modjo
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara
Source: The Jakarta Post