Much has been written on damages incurred to the province of Yogyakarta by the 27 May earthquake, but little has been published about damages to the adjoining province of Central Java .  For, next to the district of Bantul in Yogyakarta , the other worst damaged district affected is Klaten, which lies within the province of Central Java . One thing is certain, though, that evacuees in Klaten were not as well cared for by overseas volunteer groups compared to those in Yogya as most aid went first to Yogya.   

It is, therefore, heartening to note that the tourist industries of both Yogya and Central Java have decided to collaborate, overlooking whatever differences there may exist between the two administrations.

For, besides structural damages to the handicraft industry in Klaten, most damages suffered by attractions and hotels in Central Java were, not so much the effects of the earthquake itself, as the continuous spewing of lava and ash from Mt. Merapi .

This has caused thick layers of volcanic ash to settle on rice fields and plantations, as well as tourist attractions in the areas north of the mountain, which lies in the province of Central Java .  

The Borobudur temple, for example, although not damaged, needed a thorough hosing down as thick layers of ash had blown into nooks and crannies. The same problem was faced by Hotel Aman Jiwo near Borobudur . 

But impact of the quake and the eruption of Mt Merapi has affected tourist arrivals in both provinces, creating a dearth even in farther removed locations as Wonosobo and Pekalongan which lie towards the north coast of Java . These destinations are now suffering from the negative images created by press reports, which has given the impression as if the entire central part of Java had been damaged.

Meanwhile, the Central Java Hotel Association had made an inventory of damages, not only to hotels but also to homes of hotel staff. Those affected were assisted with around Rp. 10 million each, with one month food supply per family. The Accor group even helped rebuild houses of employees.

Now, together the tourist industries of Yogyakarta and Central Java have resolved to host familiarization trips for journalists and tour operators to convince the market that large parts of Java are still ideal for holidays. President Yudhoyono even called a number of his ministers to a limited Cabinet Meeting at the Losari Coffee Plantation – an eco-tourism destination - near Magelang, a cool hill town to thrash out a blueprint for the development of bio-fuel in the country. From here the President will check the situation of evacuees in Klaten.

Nonetheless, hotels here envisage a loss of business for some 6 months ahead, with peak school holiday season from July to August largely written off. Rates are expected to increase by 25% to 30%.    

Meanwhile, the Borobudur and Prambanan temples have reported a steady return of visitors, although actual numbers are still half the number of tourists who visit the temples daily.

To lure domestic tourists back to Yogyakarta , the travel industry here will launch the “Yogya is Calling” program, offering a huge 50% discount on tour packages valid between 15 July – December 2006.

to employ Yogya’s skilled Craftsmen

On the other hand, in its Editorial, Bisnis Indonesia calls the attention of the government and the public on the plight of Yogya’s thousands of handicraft artisans, who have lost all during the earthquake. It appears that Malaysian businessmen have offered to employ 2,000 of Yogya’s skilled woodcarvers and other artisans in . While providing a solution to the personal lives of these artisans, this move, however, will mean a drain on the pool of skilled artisans from Yogyakarta and Central Java , next to the threat that ’s traditional handicrafts may be patented by , thus creating a loss to ’s intellectual rights.     

Therefore, to avoid such creative drain of precious skills, the government must do all it can to provide incentives to these artisans and restore the handicraft villages around Yogya and Central Java in the shortest possible time. 

Today, one month after the quake, only 10% of over 2,500 businesses in handicrafts have returned to operations. While at Kotagede, the area’s center of silversmiths, business had been down even before the quake due to the high 10% import tariff quoted by the Government on raw materials. For that reason alone already 60% silversmiths have closed shop.

In Kasongan, the ceramic center of Yogyakarta , some 2,300 artisans are still out of work. Therefore, in a recent meeting with Minister for State Enterprises, Sugiharto, Kasongan businessmen have requested soft loans of a minimum of Rp. 50 million each to be able to restart production. While businesses that were completely destroyed by the quake have requested their debts erased.