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West Sumatra Officials Fear Quake May Hurt Tourism
Nurfika Osman | October 04, 2009

Rescue workers assessing a collapsed part of the roof of the heavily-damaged Ambacang Hotel. (AFP Photo) Rescue workers assessing a collapsed part of the roof of the heavily-damaged Ambacang Hotel. (AFP Photo)
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As relief teams continue to fan out across earthquake-hit areas of West Sumatra, officials are expressing fear about the impact the disaster will have on the tourism industry, a major money spinner for the province, as well as the future of the Tour de Singkarak bicycle race.

Facilities that support the industry such as hotels and roads were heavily damaged, and combined with public fears about visiting a region prone to seismic activity, local tourism officials can only hope for the best.

“The tourism sector contributes 17 percent to provincial income and hotels provide 50 percent of that income,” said Sapta Nirwandar, marketing director for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

He said 11 of the 20 hotels in Padang, the provincial capital, were heavily damaged, and that West Sumatra had about 150 hotels, motels and inns, many of which suffered some sort of damage.

“We’re going to concentrate on rebuilding the hotels in the province to support tourism,” Nirwandar said.

“Hotels that are not heavily damaged can be rebuilt by the end of the year. Beaches in the province were not affected, so we are optimistic that tourism will be better by the end of this year.”

Of utmost concern is the future of the Tour de Singkarak, which only made its debut last April. Fifteen international teams, 10 national squads and riders from 12 countries participated in the grueling four-day, 462-kilometer race, which began in Padang and was among the biggest cycling events in Asia.

“I am optimistic that the Tour De Singkarak next May will not be canceled, because the reconstruction will have finished,” Nirwandar said.

Ben Sukma, head of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents (Asita), said that the first step toward helping the tourism sector recover was to finish search and rescue efforts.

He said 30,000 foreign tourists, mostly Malaysians, visit West Sumatra annually. “We have to help the people first and then rebuild the hotels,” he said.