Historical Context.
The service and hospitality sector that linked to travel and leisure probably already exist since ancient Indonesia, especially ancient Java circa 8th century. Some panels
in Borobudur bas-reliefs depicted drink vendors, warungs (small restaurant), and there is a building depicting
people drinking, dancing and having fun, seems to describe tavern or lodging.
The historical record about travel in Indonesia can be found since 14th
century. The Nagarakertagama reported about King Hayam Wuruk's royal travel throughout
Majapahit realm in East Java with large numbers of carriages, accompanied by
nobles, royal courtiers, officials and servants. Although it seems as stately
affair, for some instances the king's journey is somewhat resembles modern day
tour, as the king visited numbers of interesting places; from temples such as
Palah and Jajawa, to enjoying mountain scenery, having bath in petirtaan (bathing
pools) and beach. The 15th-century travelogue of Bujangga Manik, a travelling
Hindu scholar-priest from Pakuan Pajajaran, reported about his travel around
Java and Bali. Although his travel was a pilgrimage one; visiting temples and
sacred places in Java and Bali, sometimes he behaves like a modern day tourist,
such as sitting around fanning his body while enjoying beautiful mountain
scenery in Puncak area, look upon Gede volcano that he describes as the highest
point around Pakuan Pajajaran (capital of Sunda kingdom).
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| Fort Rotterdam in Makassar, Indonesia |
Initially
the tourism, service and hospitality sector in Dutch East Indies were developed
to cater the lodging, entertainment and leisure needs of domestic visitors,
especially the wealthy Dutch plantation owners and merchants during their stay
in the city. In the 19th century, colonial heritage hotels equipped with dance
halls, live music and fine dining restaurants were established in Dutch East
Indies urban areas, such as Hotel des Indes (est.1829) in Batavia (now
Jakarta), Savoy Homann Hotel (est.1871) in Bandung, Hotel Oranje (est. 1910)
in Surabaya, and Hotel De Boer in Medan. Since the 19th century Dutch East
Indies has attracted visitors from The Netherlands. The first national tourism
bureau was the Vereeeging Toeristen Verkeer, established by Governor
General of Dutch East Indies in early 20th century, and shared their head
office in Batavia with Koninklijke Nederlansch Indische Luchtfahrt
Maatschapijj (part of KLM) that began to fly from Amsterdam to Batavia in
1929. In 1913, Vereeneging Touristen Verkeer wrote a guide book about
tourism places in the Indies. Since then Bali become known to international
tourist with foreign tourist arrivals rose for more than 100% in 1927. Much of
the international tourism of the 1920s and 1930s was by international visitors
on oceanic cruises. The 1930s did see a modest but significant influx of mainly
European tourists and longer term stayers to Bali. Many came for the blossoming
arts scene in the Ubud area, which was as much a two-way exchange between the
Balinese and outsiders as it was an internal phenomenon.
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| Hotel des Indes, Jakarta |
Tourism more or less disappeared during World War II,
Indonesian National Revolution and in the early years of the Sukarno era. On 1
July 1947, the government of Republic of Indonesia tried to revive tourism
sector in Indonesia by establishing HONET (Hotel National & Tourism)
led by R. Tjitpo Ruslan. This new national tourism authority took over much of
colonial heritage hotels in Java and all named as "Hotel Merdeka".
After Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference in 1949, this tourism authority
change its name to NV HORNET. In 1952 the President formed the
Inter-Departement Committee on Tourism Affairs that responsible to explore the
possibility to reestablish Indonesia as world's tourism destination. National
pride and identity in the late 1950s and early 1960s was incorporated into the
monumentalism of Sukarno in Jakarta— and this included the development of grand
multi-storied international standard hotels and beach resorts, such as Hotel
Indonesia in Jakarta (est.1962), Ambarrukmo Hotel in Yogyakarta (est.1965),
Samudra Beach Hotel in Pelabuhan Ratu beach West Java (est.1966), and Inna
Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Bali (est.1966). The political and economic
instability of the mid-1960s saw tourism decline radically again. Bali, and in
particular the small village of Kuta, was however, in the 1960s, an important
stopover on the overland hippy trail between Australia and Europe, and a
"secret" untouched surf spot. In the early-to-mid-1970s, high
standard hotels and tourist facilities began to appear in Jakarta and Bali.
After the completion of Borobudur restoration project in 1982, Yogyakarta
become a popular tourist attraction in Indonesia after Bali, mostly attracted
to this 8th-century Buddhist monument, surrounding ancient Javanese temples and
Yogyakarta Sultanate palace. From this period to the end of the Suharto era,
governmental policies of the tourism industry included an array of regulations
and developments to encourage increasing numbers of international tourists to
both visit Indonesia and stay longer.
