Tourism in Indonesia, especially in the cultural city of Yogyakarta is expected to develop even faster following an important role played by tourist guides.

Indonesian Tourism Humanity Friendship Forum (Fosipa) chairman Sarbini said in Yogyakarta over the weekend that the tourist guides had an important role to support the image of that tourism city with outstanding historical and cultural heritage.

"Through their role, the image of tourism in Yogyakarta can be improved in order to have a positive impact on the tourists who visit the tourism objects in the city and elsewhere," Sarbini said.

According to him the tourist guides played an important role in helping both domestic and foreign tourists and making them feel at home during their visit.

To give the best possible service to both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Indonesia in general and Yogyakarta in particular, Sarbini said the tourist guides should be more professional, well educated, and well trained.

Tourist guides empowerment is actually needed to improve tourism services beside hotels, restaurants, transportation services, souvenirs and other things.

It is because the tourist guides can fulfill a very important role in increasing the number of tourists visiting Yogyakarta.

According to him, optimal service given by tourist guides was of great importance in developing the tourism sector in Yogyakarta.

Therefore the tourist guides have to be trained regularly in an effort to improve their skills which in the long run will contribute to the local economic welfare.

Sarbini said the tour guides could act as spearhead in promoting tourism objects in Yogyakarta to both domestic and foreign tourists.

"With their particular techniques and ways, the tour guides can make tourists enjoy their visit to the tourism objects in Yogyakarta," Sarbini said.

He pointed out that foreign tourists who got a good impression of the way how the tour guides guided them would then tell it to their relatives on returning to their countries of origin.

"Therefore the tour guides have a very strategic role to play in stepping up the progress of tourism in Yogyakarta," Sarbini added.

He said that besides acting as the spearhead in the promotion of tourism, the tour guides should also have the sense of responsibility to the tourists whom they guided.

"They should have a moral responsibility to the tourists they guide, and they are also required to provide the tourists with the sense of comfort and safety," he said.

He said tourism department and tour guides organization would continue to improve the skills, capability, and the knowledge of the tour guides to make them more professional.

To support Yogyakarta`s great potential tourism, Yogyakarta Mayor Herry Zudianto said at Beringharjo market recently that traditional markets would continue to be developed for that purpose.

Herry Zudianto said the local government would continue to improve the concept and management of traditional markets to back up the tourists who visit the place for pleasure.

With several thousand-year-old temples of the ninth century by the dynasty of Syailendra, Yogyakarta also has beautiful natural panorama with green rice fields cover the suburban areas with a background of volcanic Mount Merapi.

The city, in which the people live in peace with typical Javanese hospitality, has numerous traditional markets where the exchange of goods and services take place as a result of buyers and sellers being in contact with one another.

In the modern industrial system, however, the traditional markets in Yogyakarta will not be the places for transaction only but their concept and management will also be developed to support the tourism.

"With a better concept and management, the traditional markets will function not only as the place of transaction but also of recreational fun," Herry Zudianto said.

He said the concept and management of traditional markets should at least be the same as that of malls and other shopping centers in the country.

Herry said the government has been committed to developing traditional markets into modern market level in a bid to improve the people`s economy.

Meanwhile, the Association of Traditional Market Managers (Asparindo) spokesman Suhendro said the condition of traditional markets in Yogyakarta was good enough.

"Based on our records, 80 percent of 8,854 traditional markets in Indonesia are not in very good condition but in Yogyakarta they are good enough," Suhenro said.

Therefore he expressed hope that the government would continue to develop the concept and management of traditional markets to support tourism.

Besides, rural tourism in Yogyakarta is also predicted to have good prospects in 2011, Widya Budaya Foundation chairperson Widi Utaminingsih has early this month.

"The rural tourism potential will complement the diversity of tourism attractions in Yogyakarta special province," Widi said, adding that rural tourism Yogyakarta hould continue to be developed.

Therefore she said both the regional and provincial governments should make every effort to develop the rural tourism potential to attract as many foreign and domestic tourists as possible this year.

"Every rural tourism in Yogyakarta has its own typical atmosphere namely the culture and tradition, arts, as well as natural breathtaking scenery," Widi said.

She added that the Widya Budaya Foundation has a great concern in the field of tourism and cultural development study with a local potential basis.

According to her, each rural tourism has the potential of agriculture, animal husbandry, and art and cultural attractions that could be developed to attract tourists.

She said there were at least 50 villages in Yogyakarta that could be developed into rural tourism with the cooperation from relevant parties. (*)
Source: ANTARA