I

ndonesia needs to develop its heritage tourism. This kind of tourism, loosely defined as experiencing places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present, will help alleviate poverty and has the most potential in the tourism industry, an official says.

'€œHeritage has become the main resource of many countries in their tourism industry,'€ Isdaryono from the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry said on Monday in a seminar on the role of social sciences and humanities in understanding and alleviating poverty.

Heritage sites have become an important part of the tourism industry. Many cultural sites around the world are now open to the public.

'€œTourists want to learn about past and present cultures,'€ he told the seminar, organized by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in cooperation with Institut français Indonesia.

Some cities began to develop heritage tourism in 2010 and have attracted many tourists, he said.

The number of foreign tourists reached 8.04 million in 2012, higher than 7.65 million in the previous year.

Most of the tourists went to destinations like the Prambanan and Borobudur temples in Central Java, the Subak regions of Bali, Kota Tua in Jakarta and the Javanese palace in Surakarta, Central Java, showing that heritage destinations could be developed to attract more tourists.

'€œFive cities have developed heritage tourism. They are Jakarta, Pekalongan (Central Java), Sawah Lunto (West Sumatra), Surabaya and Surakarta,'€ Isdaryono said, adding that each of cities had its own unique cultural characteristics.

Executive director of the Indonesian Heritage Cities Network Asfarinal has said that many cities have the potential to develop the appeal of their own heritage sites.

'€œSawah Lunto, for example, has transformed itself into a heritage city. The city, which has sufficient hotels and adequate infrastructure, has developed its old mining site into a tourist destination,'€ he said.

Asfarinal criticized the central government which so far has not supported the potential destinations with integrated programs promoting them as destinations.

Expensive air tickets, for example, discouraged tourists from visiting those cities. '€œCities can'€™t walk alone. The government should create some regulations to support the development of the heritage tourism,'€ he said. (tam)