The public zeal for recreation during Christmas and New Year 2023 holidays should be adapted to the uncertain weather conditions.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN
The motorboat bound for Semau Island docked at the Port of Tenau, City of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Tuesday (27/12/2022). Almost all water areas in NTT were hit by bad weather.
The public enthusiasm for year-end tours has been noted since the end of last week. In Jakarta, for instance, the Ancol Dreamland is one of people’s favorite destinations. Its management recorded approximately 136,000 residents visiting Ancol from Saturday (24/12/2022) to Monday (26/12). The normal number of visitors during the pandemic for three days usually amounts to 120,000 people.
The weather did not deter people from visiting Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) either. Based on the TMII public-relations division, around 7,000 visitors packed TMII on Monday (26/12) at 11:00 a.m., when it rained heavily. This total kept increasing. Even at 1:00 p.m., the number of visitors was almost 12,000 people.
The TMII management sets a target of 262,000 tourists who will be visiting post-revitalization TMII during the period of Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023 (Kompas.id, 27/12).
In some Indonesian regions, the gusto for recreation was also recorded. However, the tour pursuit was disturbed by adverse-weather conditions. In Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, for example, cloudy skies and high waves prevented travelers from their activities in several tourist spots such as Loang Baloq Beach, Duduk Beach and Senggigi Beach.
ISMAIL ZAKARIA
The condition of Senggigi Beach, Batulayar, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, which looked deserted, Monday (6/12/2022. Unfavorable weather conditions which are predicted to last until the end of the year, made the tourist attraction empty of visitors.
A total of 335 tourists visiting Karimunjawa island, Central Java, were stranded on the island, being trapped by high waves. They had no way of crossing back to Jepara, as the waves reached the height of 2.3-3 meters. The Kelimutu motorboat owned by PT Pelni was sent for the evacuation of the tourists on Tuesday (27/12).
With the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic after the previous two years’ social restrictions, it is only natural that the public zeal for year-end tours has been reignited. Along with public enthusiasm, tourist-destination operators are also promoting various package tours.
The public gusto also invigorates the regional economy. Travel bureaus along with accommodation facilities like hotels, lodgings and homestays, mostly managed by local residents, are reactivated. Derivative businesses like culinary bistros and car-rental facilities are appearing.
The tourism-zeal revival can be optimized by considering the various situations that are likely to arise. One of them is the message for caution conveyed by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) concerning the prediction of adverse-weather circumstances and increasing high waves in some territorial waters.
Mature consideration is needed to adapt the enthusiasm for travel to a number of weather-related possibilities. It can be done by avoiding tourist activities in beach areas or shifting the dates of holiday tours to the days without any adverse-weather caution. Wisdom is indeed required for the sake of anticipating any victim falling, amid tourist activities meant for recreation to get relief from fatigue.
