THE Borobudur Temple Compounds, located in the southern part of the Central Java, is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and one of Indonesia’s most visited sites attracting about five million visitors yearly BC (before Covid) – 90% of whom were domestic tourists, 10% international .
Built in the 8th and 9th centuries AD during the reign of the Shailendra Dynasty, this UNESCO World Heritage site is “shifting preferences” DC (During Covid) in its management as detailed by Bisma Jatmika, director of industry & institutions, Borobudur Tourism Authority.
Even during the pandemic, with just domestic visitors, Jatmika said the tourism authority was mindful of the carrying capacity for both the temple complex and the surrounding Borobudur National Park to protect its fragile structure and preserve the surrounding environment.
The tourism body is collaborating with governments of provinces in central Java to keep track of tourists and control the carrying capacity, as well as ensure visitors are in compliance with Covid safety and cleanliness protocols.
The temples have also implemented systems for e-ticketing and e-payments. “These, together with the tracking of tourist activities, will ensure minimal personal contact in line with the compliance,” said Jatmika.
To reach a wider audience beyond the domestic market, the tourism body is looking at using virtual reality and augmented reality to bring the temples alive virtually, as well as to tell the story behind the construction of this magnificent structure.
“And hopefully next year we will be able to launch separate content in several areas so people can enjoy Borobudur and its several temples virtually,” said Jatmika.
He added the Borobudur Tourism Authority is also working with online travel agents (OTAs), naming Singapore-based GlobalTix and Indonesia’s Tiket.com as partners, to expand its distribution and to reach more markets.
“Working with these OTAs enables us to create other travel services such as renting cars, booking hotels and purchasing tickets to attractions. With these platforms integrated with payment platforms, travellers just need to hop on to a flight and can start on their travel on landing,” said Jatmika.
On whether he would work with e-commerce platforms like the GoTo Group, formed by Indonesia’s two biggest startups – ride-hailing giant Gojek and marketplace Tokopedia – he replied that he was looking at it as a means of reaching more consumers.
On trends in cashless transactions as Indonesia is huge on wallets with its large unbanked population, Jatmika said, “We could integrate the local crafts, hotels or even tourism villages onto our platform using cashless transactions for payment, but there has to be some incentives and motivation for these businesses to adopt this method of payment. We also have to make cashless transactions efficient to attract users.”
• Featured image credit: sihasakprachum/Getty Images
