According to the recent Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, Indonesia jumped from 70th in 2013 to 50th this year[1]. I am not at all surprised because Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries on earth (believe me, I have traveled a lot). I am a peace student in Spain and it is the second time I am visiting Indonesia. It has so many beautiful places and really lovely people!
Besides making some great friends I most appreciated the connection with people I did not know in very particular moments. For example when I lived in Yogyakarta I was asked by about four different groups of English students for a short interview in the streets so they could practice their English and later show their teachers (because they recorded everything on camera). There were big groups of 7 and sometimes just 2 students and asked quite similar questions. Apart from what’s your name and where are you from they asked: What is your favorite food from here? And what places do you like to visit? What do you think should improve in Indonesia? This was usually their last question.
It is in these moments when I can speak with people beyond small talk and business-even if it is through an unexpected interview in the streets with a mobile phone camera pointing at me- that I feel most welcomed. You don’t know each other and you will probably continue walking your way afterwards- but the connection is really genuine and you walk away with a smile.
These interviews feel like the beginning of a real dialogue between real people from different places. In fact when I have time I would love to go and look for local people in the streets and ask them what they think about tourism and what kind of tourism they would like to see in their country. How could tourists change to make the experience better for Indonesians as well? I believe that in order to have real dialogue you need two-way communication- and it is so important to know each other’s perspectives.
MCB
[1] Jakarta Post, May 15th 2015 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/15/ri-tourism-leaps-forward.html