Major transportation upgrades in the last decade have seen Central Java’s Karimunjawa Islands transform from a secluded archipelago to a tourist favorite.

After more frequent ferry services were provided by the government and private operators in 2009, locals have seen their seen their fortunes change, as more and more tourists begin visiting.

Karimunjawa is a district only 9,000 people in Central Java that consists of 27 small islands in the Java Sea. The district can be reached by sea and air from Jepara and Semarang.

One local, 31-year-old Koceng, who is a fisherman-cum-tour guide, said that before 2009, only two ferries traveled to and from the islands.

One was a private express ferry from Semarang that had a capacity of 200 people and departed twice a week. The other was a state-operated ferry that traveled three times a week from Jepara and could carry 350 people. The ferries were almost exclusively used by locals.

“The turning point was when chaos broke out at Kartini Harbor [a transit point from Jepara to Karimunjawa], when too many locals wanted to go home and [the ferry operators] ran out of tickets. So they sat on the anchor rope so the ferry couldn’t sail,” he recounted to The Jakarta Post.

After the incident, both the government and private operators gradually increased the number of ferry services.

In total, two express ferries make the three-hour trip from Semarang to the islands once a week, while one express ferry from Jepara makes the two-hour journey four times a week. The fare is Rp 150,000 (US$10.41) per person, and each ferry has a capacity of 200 people.

There are now also two large ferries, which can fit up to 600 people, that travel from Semarang once a week and from Jepara four times a week. The journey takes around six hours.

Airfast offers a 40-minute flight service from Surabaya in East Java twice a week that can carry up to 16 passengers per flight. Nam Air also flies from Semarang three times a week.

Another local, Gembol, who runs recreational water activities at Ujung Gelam Beach in Karimunjawa, concurred with Koceng, saying that the winds of change had come with transportation development.

“Back then [before 2009], there were no permanent stalls [for food and beverages] like today, so they [merchants] would only stay while tourists were present,” he said.

A decade ago, the Karimunjawa Islands were mostly only visited by domestic backpackers.

However, tour guide Koceng said that now 80 percent of his customers were foreign tourists. Even one of his superiors is Dutch.

“In addition to [the major changes in] transportation, I think the islands’ tourism [has blossomed thanks to the largely untouched] nature, improved internet access and the fact that electricity has been now available for 24 hours a day for two years,” he said, adding that the number of accommodations had jumped from only a dozen to more than a hundred in the last decade.

European tourists, who usually come during the summer holidays starting in June, make up the majority of foreign tourists who visit the islands.

Food sellers in Karimunjawa have also benefitted from the improved transportation.

Seafood stall owner Harlina said that seven years ago, there were only two stalls in her area. Now, there are at least 20 stalls.

However, Kecong said that trash could become a problem, as the local administration had recently halted a landfill project.

“The 2-hectare plot of land that was allocated for the landfill has not yet been developed. At the moment, the only way [to get rid of trash] is to burn it,” he said.

On average, a three-day, two-night stay in the Karimunjawa Islands costs Rp 900,000 to Rp 2 million per person, including food and a round trip ferry ticket.