Landslides block main road in West Sumatra

Landslides has blocked a road in Lembah Anai, which connects Padang and Bukittinggi, in West Sumatra, forcing authorities to redirect traffic through Solok.

Provincial disaster mitigation coordinator Ade Edward told tempointeraktif.com that the landslides occurred following heavy rain that had been pouring since Friday afternoon.

Landslides blocked the road at two point.

A bridge leading to the road was also damaged after being hit by strong current of the overflowing Batang Anai river.

Two weeks earlier landslide had damaged two bridges and blocked a part of the road.

 

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 04/17/2010

Environment Watch: Padang Beach ‘turtle egg market’, says SETI scientist

The trade of turtle eggs at Padang Beach in West Sumatran capital city Padang has reached worrying levels, with a scientist urging the municipality and the administration to act.

Harfiandri Damanhuri of the Sea Turtle Information Center of Indonesia pointed out the beach now resembled a turtle egg market.

Padang: A gateway to the wonders of W. Sumatra

PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): I had been to Padang before but my memories were fuzzy. After an exhausting two night third-class voyage from Jakarta, I had spent another sleepless night in the hotel that hosted Padang's firstdisco, so by the time I boarded a morning bus to Bukittingi, I was comatose.

Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, the largest island in the Indonesianarchipelago and the fourth largest island in the world, has traditionally been a transit stop on the way to the ethereal cloud-brushed hills and emerald valleys of the Minangkabau.

Anai's Padang cuisine in upmarket setting

JAKARTA (JP): Everybody knows that Padang food is this country's closest equivalent to fast food. Usually eaten in the ""raw"", meaning on a dusty sidewalk in the market in the middle of all the action, platters of food are stacked like pyramids in the sun before being brought out before the diner to make their selections.

Belakang Padang Island 'soothes longing hearts'

A wooden boat carries passengers from Belakang Padang Island to Batam Island. In this picture, skyscrapers in Singapore can be seen in the distance. (JP/Fadli)
If not separated by an ocean, Singapore's skyscrapers could be part of Belakang Padang Island.
But due to the seven-mile expanse of water, Belakang Padang has a totally different landscape from that of Singapore: They are as different as night and day.
"We used to take a wooden boat to Singapore. No passport was required. We sold fish and they paid in dollars, not rupiah," said Wak Haji Jantan, 65, a resident of Belakang Padang, recalling his heyday as a transboundary trader.

Krisis Global Juga Hantam Industri Pariwisata Dunia

JAKARTA, SELASA - Badan PBB untuk pariwisata (UN-WTO/United Nations World Tourism Organization) memperkirakan pertumbuhan pariwisata global akan menurun. "Karena krisis keuangan global diperkirakan akan berlanjut sampai 2009, UN-WTO memperkirakan persentase laju pertumbuhan kunjungan pariwisata global akan berada di kisaran 0 - 2 persen," kata Staf Ahli Menbudpar (Menteri Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata) Thamrin B Bachri melalui pesan singkat dari China, Senin (17/11).
    
Thamrin berpartisipasi mewakili Indonesia pada International Conference on Revitalization of Tourism and Confronting Crisis di Chengdu Propinsi Sichuan, Cina yang diprakarsi oleh UN-WTO dan CNTA (China National Tourism Administration) dari 15 November - 19 November 2008.
    
Mengutip UN-WTO, Thamrin mengatakan padahal persentase pertumbuhan kunjunan pariwisata global pada empat bulan pertama tahun 2008 sudah mencapai rata-rata 5,7 persen. "Bahkan pada bulan Mei 2008 terjadi peningkatan permintaan mencapai 7 persen. Namun mulai Juni, Juli, Agustus 2008 pertumbuhan menurun 2 persen sehingga untuk 8 bulan pertama 2008 rata-rata pertumbuhan dunia 3,7 persen," katanya.
    
UN-WTO memperkirakan pertumbuhan pariwisata dunia akan terus melambat sekitar 2 - 3 persen sampai dengan Desember 2008.
    
Dalam konferensi internasional tersebut, kata Thamrin, ada hasil-hasil penting yang perlu ditindaklanjuti oleh Indonesia yaitu bahwa pembangunan pariwista hendaknya dilihat secara seimbang dari dua sisi yaitu optimalisasi dampak positif pariwisata dengan peningkatan jumlah kunjungan wisatawan asing dan wisatawan domestik, serta meminimalisir bahkan mereduksi dampak negatif pariwisata misalnya menyiapkan program antisipasi dampak pemanasan global dari sektor pariwisata.
 
Selanjutnya, kendatipun pariwisata dunia diperkirakan akan mengalami krisis sebagai akibat berlanjutnya krisis keuangan dunia, lanjut Thamrin, namun agenda-agenda yang terkait dengan global warming dan pembangunan pariwisata yang berbasis pelibatan masyarakat harus tetap dilaksanakan. "Ini himbaun UN WTO kepada negara-negara anggotanya," katanya.

Kompas.com

Tourism future bright despite travel warning: Minister

The Minister of Tourism and Culture Jero Wacik expressed optimism Thursday that the future of Indonesia's tourism remained bright despite a number of countries issuing travel warnings following the recent execution of three terrorists.

The Indonesian Travel Market - TIME 2008 in Makassar successfully concluded

MAKASSAR - The Indonesian annual travel mart, Tourism Indonesia Mart&Expo (TIME) or 'Pasar Wisata Indonesia' is concluded today with total attendance of 104 buyers from 21 countries. The top five buyers consisted of Malaysia, Korea, India and Indonesia, Singapore, and the Netherlands. TIME 2008 also attracted 108 sellers from 16 provinces of Indonesia, which mostly come from Jakarta, South Sulawesi, Bali, North Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, Yogyakarta and East Kalimantan, and Papua.