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Sanitation award for airports to improve RI’s image

The government says that granting an award is an effective way to promote better toilet facilities in Indonesia’s airports, which in turn would improve the country’s international image

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Sat, October 15, 2011

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Sanitation award for airports to improve RI’s image

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he government says that granting an award is an effective way to promote better toilet facilities in Indonesia’s airports, which in turn would improve the country’s international image.

“Ever since the first time we held the Sapta Pesona Clean Public Toilet Award in 2007, airports across the country have been improving their toilet facilities every year and we have made tourists feel more comfortable,” Ministry of Culture and Tourism director general for tourism development Firmansyah told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The Sapta Pesona Clean Public Toilet Award is organized by the ministry every two years.

“Sanitation is clearly among the most important concerns for supporting our tourism industry because it is part of the principles of Sapta Pesona,” he said.

The principles of Sapta Pesona, or the seven charms of Indonesian tourism, were developed by the Indonesian government to entice visitors. They are: Friendliness, neatness, cleanliness, beauty, safety, preservation and uniqueness. Surabaya’s Juanda International Airport won first prize in the competition in 2011, retaining a title it first won back in 2009. Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali won the award in 2007.

Both Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Ngurah Rai International Airport followed respectively at second and third place this year.

However, he said that both Juanda and Ngurah Rai Airports had showed more improvements than Soekarno-Hatta.

“Juanda received four-star ratings and Ngurah Rai received three-star ratings from the jury,” he said.

Juanda and Ngurah Rai received three and two-star ratings, respectively, in 2009.

Juanda is the only international airport in the country with a four-star rating for its toilets as the airport management provides hands-free toilet flushers as well as special toilets for the handicapped and children.

The ratings were awarded based on the toilet facilities’ compliance with international toilet standards, such as minimum cubicle dimensions of 120x150 centimeters, a minimum distance of 80 centimeters between a toilet and the cubicle door and outward-opening cubicle doors.

A three-star rating means the toilets are clean, tissue paper is available and water is running at all times, but lack specialized toilets.

Unfortunately, he said, none of Indonesia’s international airports were in full compliance with international standards.

The non-government World Toilet Organization announced Friday that Indonesia’s toilets are some of the dirtiest in Asia.

Antara news agency reported Friday that the organization placed Indonesia at the 12th position among the 18 Asian countries surveyed regarding the general cleanliness of their toilets.

“We have also granted awards to public toilets at tourist sites across the country and we are doing this step by step,” he said.

Similar appraisals were conducted in 2010 to promote improved toilet facilities in museums — called the Museum Toilet Award. Taman Safari Bali won first place.

Firmansyah said that next year the ministry would also organize the Train Toilet Award and Restaurant Toilet Award.

“I am sure that if we improve sanitation more people will come to Indonesia because they would feel more comfortable,” he said. (nfo)

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