Festive Nights Lift Borobudur Economy

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

The ireng mask art attraction from the Lima Gunung Community enlivened the opening of the Indonesia Speaking event at the Borobudur Temple complex, Magelang, Central Java, Wednesday (7/9/2022).

It was drizzling in the Borobudur area of Central Java on Monday night (10/10/2022), but the chilly, damp weather did not stop people from enjoying the evening in Borobudur.

Not far from Borobudur Temple on Jl. Medang Kamulan, a dozen people sat close together on mats near angkringan (food carts). While chatting with friends and family, they sipped warm drinks and ate snacks.

"When it's drizzling and cold like this, it's good to eat [chicken] intestine satay and drink hot ginger," said Tika (34), a resident of Mertoyudan district, Magelang regency, Central Java.

Tika was there with her husband and child that evening after traveling by car for around 36 minutes from home. Tika's family often chooses to spend their evenings in the Borobudur area.

The dozen or so angkringan customers expanded into several dozens, so the mats became full.

At around 8 p.m., the rain started to peter out. The flow of people and vehicles grew increasingly crowded. The dozen or so angkringan customers expanded into several dozens, so the mats became full.

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The lively atmosphere in the Borobudur area that evening was very different from the condition several years ago. In the same month in 2019, for example, almost no food stalls were open after 8 p.m. because it was rare for residents to venture outside their homes at night.

Helmi (23), a resident of Central Jav’sa Temanggung regency who often visits the Borobudur area, acknowledged the change. Helmi felt that the Borobudur area at night was not as busy during past visits as it was now.

FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Residents pass in a rice field area next to Borobudur Temple in Ngaran Hamlet, Borobudur Village, Borobudur District, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Friday (31/1/2020).

“In the past, it was quiet at night. My friends and I want to get together to eat and drink at angkringan. It's much better now, it's crowded, lots of new cafes. The gatherings are more comfortable,” said Helmi, who has visited Borobudur several times with her trail bike community.

Enjoying profits

Local people, including owners of small businesses, such as Mimin (52), are grateful for the changes that have come to the Borobudur area. Mimin is a resident of Borobudur village who owns an angkringan, and has earned profits from the evening crowds in the Borobudur area.

Mimin just started her angkringan business a year and a half ago. Every day, her angkringan is open from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. On weekdays, she earns a profit of around Rp 100,000 every night. On weekends, she makes a profit of Rp 500,000 every night.

He earned between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million from renting electric bicycles and scooters each night.

Aldi (24), who owns an electric bicycle and scooter rental business, feels that he has benefited from the bustling nightlife in the Borobudur area. He earned between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million from renting electric bicycles and scooters each night.

He rents the scooters and bicycles for Rp 60,000 per hour each. “When I first opened my business in August 2021, I only had five scooters and five electric bicycles. Now I have 15 scooters and 10 electric bicycles,” said Aldi.

Over time, the number of bicycle and electric scooter rental businesses in Borobudur has grown. Aldi estimated that at least 25 electric scooter and bicycle rental outlets now served the area.

In the second week of October, at least two new cafes opened on Jl. Balaputradewa and Jl. Badrawati in the Borobudur area.

Andri, the manager of Uprus Cafe on Jl. Balaputradewa, said the cafe had opened to take advantage of the crowds in the Borobudur area, especially in the evenings. The cafe, which was open every day from 10 a.m. to midnight, saw more customers in the evenings after 6 p.m.

“A culture of going out at night is starting to develop in this area. At least 40 customers stop by in a single day. On weekends, the number of customers can reach 60 people per day," said Andri.

Tourist stays

The nighttime crowds in the Borobudur area have had not only a positive impact, but also a negative one, namely chaotic traffic. To overcome this, the Borobudur district administration, together with the local residents, launched the Borobudur Car-Free Night. The program, which started in July 2022, runs every Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

On Saturday night (15/10), rows of carts selling a variety of foods were lined up neatly on Jl. Pramudyawardhani in Borobudur district. People passed through, buying food and drink, with no motorized vehicles passing on the road.

"The evening crowd is one of our strategies to increase tourist stays. The longer they stay, more money [flows] here,” said Borobudur district head Subiyanto.

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

A number of visitors took pictures at the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park complex, some time ago.

Subiyanto said that Borobudur Car-Free Night was appreciated by a number of parties, including people from outside the district. Every time the program ran, groups of visitors from outside Borobudur came to the area.

Appreciation also came from local and foreign tourists who participated in the weekly event.

Even though the program had been held a dozen times, however, Borobudur Car-Free Night did not have a legal umbrella yet, said Subiyanto. He expressed hope that the Magelang regency administration would soon issue a circular on Borobudur Car-Free Night so the activity could be conducted more responsibly.

Subiyanto also hoped that businesses that operated during Borobudur Car-Free Night would receive training to improve the quality of their products. In addition, he hoped that the program would continue to run so it could greatly benefit the people of Borobudur.

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)