THE MATTER PERTAINING TO THE POSTMODERN TOURIST PRODUCTS REPRESENTING THE AREA OF THE OLD CITY OF JAKARTA

E-Journal of Cultural Studies

DOAJ Indexed (Since 14 Sep 2015)

ISSN 2338-2449

Feb 2018 Vol. 11, Number 1, Page 10-18

https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/ecs/

THE MATTER PERTAINING TO THE POSTMODERN TOURIST PRODUCTS REPRESENTING THE AREA OF THE OLD CITY OF JAKARTA

Derinta Entas¹, I Gede Mudana²

¹Tourism Management Department, Sahid Institute of Tourism Jakarta, ²Tourism Department, Politeknik Negeri Bali

email: ¹[email protected], ²[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Cultural representation from the perspective of cultural studies is the concept of production, mediation, and reception. The common people know it as production, distribution, and consumption. The main topic of the present study is the appearance of the past in its current form. The appearance of the past using the cultural capital of the area is raised and packaged with new forms and meanings. The study focuses on the forms of the postmodern tourist products which represent the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The study uses the qualitative method in which the forms of the postmodern tourist products representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta are simply analyzed. The data were collected through observation, interview, documentation, and questionnaire. The data were analyzed interpretatively using the theory of cultural representation.

The result of the study shows that the postmodern tourist products represent the area of the Old City of Jakarta in the forms of the production process, distribution process, and consumption process. They all strengthen the forms of the postmodern tourism products representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The products include City Tour, Heritage Trails; Junior Heritage Trails: Fun Learning in History; Sunda Kelapa Cycling Tour; Kampung Arab Cycling Tour; Marine Tourism (Wisata Bahari): Sunda Kelapa Harbour and Onrust Island; Jakarta Heritage Trails: Free Old City Tour; Chinatown Journey Experience Through The Eyes of History; Old City Adventure (Kelana Kota Tua); Going Along the Fortress of Batavia City; Jakarta Urban Legend Tour; Past Time Trip (Plesiran Tempoe Doeloe). The different tourist products have been created by the tourism agents, and are packaged in such a way starting from historical facts to mythological stories that they all have enriched the tourist attractions in the Old City of Jakarta.

Keywords: representation, old city area, postmodern tourism

INTRODUCTION

Within the context of this present study, representation refers to an activity to make something appear again; however, the new form is not necessarily the same as the original form. The reason is that there is a process of reconstruction within the production, mediation and reception processes.

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The aspects which show the strength of the cultural capital of the cultural tourism in the area of the Old City of Jakarta are (1) the Old City is the area of a city which still looks as a city; the city is still in existence with its urban structure; (2) the cultural tourist attractions of the area of the Old City of Jakarta include museums, old buildings with art deco and art nouveau styles, and art and cultural performances; (3) the tourism supporting facilities such as restaurants, cafes, hotels, and the other areas of entertainments; (4) being strategically located in the center of the city with its accessibility.

The four aspects are elaborated with the discourse that the area of the Old City of Jakarta is made to reappear with its old functions. It is revitalized as the area of cultural and historical tourism. The cultural capitals which the area of the Old City of Jakarta has are changed and used as the postmodern tourism. The postmodern tourism representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta is intended to revitalize its old functions with new meanings used as the topic of the postmodern tourism.

The new and unique branding for Jakarta City created through the area of the Old City of Jakarta has been an attempt to give a positive image to the city. Monas as the current icon and branding of Jakarta City has been shifted by the existence of the area of the Old City. The postmodern tourism concept can be strengthened by changing the branding concept of Jakarta City from the icon of Monas into the area of the Old City. The description of the concept, the cultural sources of the area, the government’s attention, the new branding concept of the area is used as the introductory background for describing the forms of the representation of the postmodern tourism.

RESEARCH METHOD

This present study uses the qualitative method in which the area of the postmodern tourism representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta is simply described. The study mainly focuses on the attempts made to make the past reappear in the current era. The stages through which the study was conducted include the stage in which the location of the study was determined, the stage in which the data types and sources were decided, the stage in which informants were determined, the stage in which the research instrument was determined, the stages in which the techniques of collecting and analyzing the data were determined, and the stage in which the technique of presenting the result of the data analysis was chosen.

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The data used in the present study are the qualitative data in the forms of narrations, descriptions, and words related to the practice of the representation of the postmodern tourism in the area of the Old City of Jakarta. In the present study the data sources are divided into two. First, the primary data sources which include respondents and informants; they refer to the actual sources of the collected data. Second, the secondary data sources; in this case the data in the present study were obtained from the other sources such as articles in the mass media, text books, publications, organizations and the government, and the published and unpublished research results (Ratna, 2010: 143).

Based on the data sources, the data were collected interactively, meaning that the researcher came to visit the informants to be interviewed. The data were also collected non-interactively using the documentary technique and through observation. Basically, the data in this qualitative study were collected through observation, interview, and documentary study.

DISCUSSION

In cultural studies the cultural representation is discussed in all levels; they are in the initial level, mediation level and reception level (Agger in Jenks, 2013: 235). They are applied to discussing the forms of the postmodern tourism representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta.

The production of the postmodern tourism is the initial stage of the postmodern tourism representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta. In this point three points are discussed, as far as the postmodern tourism is concerned; they are (1) the factor contributing to the product of the postmodern tourism; (2) the process of engineering the postmodern tourist product, and (3) the postmodern tourist product. These will be comprehensively explained using the theory of Cultural Representation and the other supporting theories.

There are several factors attracting tourists to come to the area of the Old City of Jakarta; they are general and specific in nature. They are the reasons why tourists come to see a city or an area (Jensen and Liovis in Peace and Butler, 1999: 89). “Heritage must be broadly defined to encompass not only major historic sites and institutions, but the entire landscape of the region with its geographic base …” (Bowes in Timothy and Boyd, 2003: 2). This perception affirms the idea that the cultural heritage is not only something which has to be collected as a collection of the past, but it also has historical and educational values; however, as far as the context of the postmodern tourism is concerned, there is the economic

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values attached to it. It is these economic values which mainly contribute to the postmodern tourism product.

The economic values of the cultural heritage in which the concept of experience economy is implemented improve. This concept shows the phases for improving the economic values of the area. The first phase starts from commodities, objects, services, and experience. Selling the historical values of museums and old buildings is not the only way of improving the economic values of the area of the Old City. The economic values can also be improved by engineering such capitals in such a way that they will become the tourist products which can give valuable experience to tourists.

From what was observed, five things were identified related to the area of the Old City of Jakarta. First, the buildings used as offices, spice warehouses of the Dutch companies, and residence where the Dutch officials stayed. Second, the buildings were constructed using the deco architect art featured by hybrid of the European, Pecinan, Betawi and Arabic cultures. Third, the area of the Old City of Jakarta is full of the stories of the past showing that it was the city of the Dutch colonialism. Fourth, the myths attached to the old buildings. Fifth, the area of the Old City was well managed and had good transportation system during the area of the Dutch colonialism. Fifth, all the things mentioned above are the assets that can be used to resurrect the popularity of the area of the Old City in different forms without leaving its past history.

In the phase of production, the economic aspect, political aspect and cultural aspect were engineered by the stakeholders. The economic aspect was engineered by the entrepreneurs in order to produce products using the strength of the capitals they have. The financial ability supported with the cultural asset of the ownership of the old buildings contributes to their strength. The old buildings in the area of the Old City of Jakarta are dominantly owned by private organizations and individuals. The cultural aspect was engineered by the society as the owner of the culture. In this context, what is meant is the Betawi society, although not all the Betawi cultural aspects are involved in the tourism activities undertaken in the area of the Old City of Jakarta.

The development of the area of the Old City of Jakarta in the perspective of the postmodern tourism gives opportunities to the local people to develop the cultural assets they have as the capital. Their involvement is intended to improve their economy. The old buildings which are revitalized and adapted with new functions can create opportunities and spur the economic development in the area of the Old City of Jakarta.

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The economic aspect was engineered by changing the forms of the area and buildings and minimizing the change of the original forms of the buildings. After the revitalization program was issued the area has significantly developed. Through the Decree of the Governor of the DKI Jakarta Nol 1766 of 2015, the area of the Old City of Jakarta has been used as the area of cultural heritage.

The political aspect was engineered by the party which has power, namely the government. The government has developed the area of the Old City of Jakarta with a vision that it will become the area of tourism, businesses, trade and services for the sake of economic benefits without neglecting the character and historical value of the area. It is also intended to attract investors so that the economic value of the area of the Old City of Jakarta will improve.

The government plays the role in protecting the area of the Old City of Jakarta through its revitalization program, and by protecting the area of the cultural heritage and old buildings used as the capital assets. The government has the authority to issue regulations applied through Acts, the Governor’s Decree, the Governor’s Regulation, guidance, technical instructions and so forth. They are all used as the legal basis for protecting the area of the Old City of Jakarta. On the other hand, the government earns income through the retributions and taxes levied, which contribute to the locally-generated revenue ‘pendapatan asli daerah (PAD)’.

The postmodern tourism products are created by the stakeholders. Based on what is stated in the vision and mission of RIK Kota Tua Jakarta Chapter III article 4, it is stated that “the area of the Old City is developed with the vision of developing it as the area of the cultural heritage and the area of tourism, business, services, and trade with high economic values by maintaining its character and historical values”.

The vision and mission of the area reflect that the area has the potential of being developed as the area of tourism. According to Surbakti (2008: 159), the historical buildings are one form of the tourist attractions and objects, and that, within the tourism industry, tourist attractions and objects cannot be separated from the product development. Basically, the development of a product is an attempt consciously made and planned to improve any current product by adding the types of the products which are produced or which will be marketed.

The indicators which are recommended to develop an area of tourism include something to see, something to do, something to buy, how to arrive, and how to stay. The area of the Old City of Jakarta has fulfilled the requirement of something to see, meaning that

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it has already had several objects to visit such as the Fatahillah Museum, the Puppet Museum, the Ceramic and Arts and Design Museum, the Mandiri Bank Museum, and Indonesia Bank Museum, and the Bahari Museum. The collections in each museum are relatively complete, and the retributions levied upon those who come to visit them are low. They are used as one component of the tourism package.

The tourism activities in the area of the Old City of Jakarta are getting better resulting from the creative industrial participation. The phenomenon of man-like statues are completed with different characters and their attributes. Some look like heroes, cartoon, ghosts and so forth. They all attract visitors to take pictures with the man-like statutes. The other attractions in the area of the Old City of Jakarta are the street entertainers such as the dancing dolls, face painters, art tattoos, street musicians, jugglers and so forth.

Many tourism packages which are offered are accommodated by the local communities such as Komunitas Historia Indonesia (KHI), Sahabat Museum (Batmus), and Komunitas Sepeda Onthel. They are some of the communities which pay special attention to the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The tourism packages inspired by the local communities are Plesiran Tempoe Doeloe (Trip in the Past), Heritage Trails, as can be seen in the following table.

Several events and local cultural art performances such as Jakarta Fashion Food Expo, Festival Tempo Doeloe, Batavia Art Festival, Old City Festival, Judul Culinary Festival and the attractions performed by the tourism and cultural communities of Jakarta are also held. Apart from the tourist attractions, the culinary tourist activity involving street vendors ‘pedagang kaki lima’ and the representative or recommended cafes and restaurants is also held. The restaurants and cafes around the area offer different menus, starting from the local to the international menus. One of the cafes which is favorite enough in the area is the Batavia café which is located in the central zone of the area.

Table of Tourist Packages in the area of the Old City of Jakarta

No.	Tourist Activities	Facilities	Price (IDR)	Operators
1	City Tour, Heritage Trails	Onthel bikes	60,000	KOBA
2	Junior Heritage Trails: Fun Learning in History	Walking	FOC	KHI
3	Sunda Kelapa Cycling Tour	Onthel bikes	40,000      – 50,000	KOBA
4	Kampung Arab Cycling Tour	Onthel bikes	50,000-75,000	KOBA
5	Marine Tourism, Sunda Kelapa Harbor and Onrust Island		Varies	KHI

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6	Jakarta Heritage Trails: Free Old City Tour	Sightseeing	FOC	KHI
7	Chinatown Journey Experience Through The Eyes of History		100,000	KHI
8	Old City Adventure	Sightseeing	50,000      – 100,000	KHI
9	Walk Museum	Sightseeing	50,000      – 100,000	KHI
10	Tracing the Frontier of Batavia City	Sightseeing	50,000      – 100,000	KHI
11	Jakarta Urban Legend Tour		225,000	KHI
12	Tour in the Past (Plesiran Tempoe Doeloe)	Sightseeing	80,000	Batmus

Source: Reconstructed by Derinta, 2016

Cooper (2005) states that the elements which contribute to the development of tourism in one area are (1) attractions which are made up of site attraction and event attraction; the site attraction of the area of the Old City of Jakarta is reflected by the old buildings; event attractions including amusements, bazaars, festivals, congresses, workshops taking place in the area of the Old City of Jakarta, (2) amenities, (3) accessibility, (4) tourist organizations which are responsible for promoting the area of the Old City of Jakarta and formulating the framework concept of the development of the tourism in the area.

From the tourism activities which are created in the area of the Old City of Jakarta, it can be concluded that it is reasonable to make the area a tourist destination or the icon of a new tourism in Jakarta City. Tourists can visit museums, hunt for foods which are specific to Jakarta City, and go around the Old City of Jakarta by the onthel bikes. In addition, visitors can also take pictures with the row of old buildings around the Old City of Jakarta as the background.

Different products of tourism offered in the area of the Old City of Jakarta are created by the tourism agents. The stakeholders are highly responsive to seeing the opportunities available in the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The tourist products starting from the mythological stories to the historical facts are packaged in such a way that they can enrich the tourist attractions in the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The mythological story which is popular in the area of the Old City is the cannon “Si Jagur”. It is believed that it has the sacred value of fertility.

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CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

What was described in the paragraphs above regarding the production, distribution and consumption of the cultural representation can give the answer to the postmodern tourism representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta. In general, the postmodern tourism representation formed in the area of the Old City of Jakarta shows the seriousness of the stakeholders to revitalize the area.

MUDANA, I Gede; SUTAMA, I Ketut; WIDHARI, Cokorda Istri Sri. ENTREPRENEURAL FIGURE OF MOUNT AGUNG TREKKING GUIDES. E-Journal of Cultural Studies, [S.l.], p. 1-7, aug. 2017. ISSN 2338-2449. Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/ecs/article/view/33150>. Date accessed: 02 jan. 2018 stated that “tourism is an economic business which is developed for the people’s prosperity by developing the natural sources and/or cultural resources-based tourism industry (private) and is supported by the government’s political role and the local people’s participation” (and see also: MUDANA, I Gede; SUTAMA, I Ketut; WIDHARI, Cokorda Istri Sri. Kepeloporan kewirausahaan memandu pendakian daya tarik wisata Gunung Agung, Karangasem, Bali. Journal of Bali Studies, [S.l.], v. 7, n. 2, p. 19-38, oct. 2017. ISSN 2580-0698. Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/kajianbali/article/view/35152>. Date accessed: 02 jan. 2018.). Therefore, in relation to the development of the postmodern tourism in the Area of the Old City of Jakarta, it is suggested that as many stakeholders as possible in general and the local people who are often marginalized in particular should be involved in different developmental programs of tourism.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In this opportunity the writer would like to thank those who were involved in the completion of this article and the management of the E-Journal of Cultural Studies and the team of its reviewers for publishing the journal.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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E-Journal of Cultural Studies

DOAJ Indexed (Since 14 Sep 2015)

ISSN 2338-2449                                             https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/ecs/

Jensen and Lievois. 1999. “Analysing Heritage Resources for Urban Tourism in European Cities” dalam I.G. Pearce & Butler (eds). Contemporary Issues in Tourism Development Analysis and Applications. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

MUDANA, I Gede; SUTAMA, I Ketut; WIDHARI, Cokorda Istri Sri. ENTREPRENEURAL FIGURE OF MOUNT AGUNG TREKKING GUIDES. E-Journal of Cultural Studies, [S.l.], p. 1-7, aug. 2017. ISSN 2338-2449. Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/ecs/article/view/33150>. Date accessed: 02 jan. 2018.

MUDANA, I Gede; SUTAMA, I Ketut; WIDHARI, Cokorda Istri Sri. Kepeloporan kewirausahaan memandu pendakian daya tarik wisata Gunung Agung, Karangasem, Bali. Journal of Bali Studies, [S.l.], v. 7, n. 2, p. 19-38, oct. 2017. ISSN 2580-0698. Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/kajianbali/article/view/35152>. Date accessed: 02 jan. 2018.

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