HARIANEXPRESS – Borobudur Temple, a majestic site in Magelang District, Central Java Province, has unveiled a significantly reconfigured complex, featuring a new art village designed to improve visitor experiences and boost the local economy. This major overhaul, completed under the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), aims to accommodate more merchants and provide better facilities for tourists. A trial for the new area commenced on September 16, allowing the state-run management company, PT TWC, to identify improvements and familiarize people with the changes.
President Jokowi officially solidified the governance of the Borobudur Temple complex by signing Presidential Regulation No. 101 of 2024 on September 20. The primary goal of this comprehensive transformation is to increase tourist numbers and generate economic benefits for local residents, all while upholding the temple’s long-term sustainability as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Borobudur’s Major Overhaul and New Features
A New Era for the Temple Complex
After several decades, the extensive reconfiguration of the Borobudur Temple complex has finally been completed. This initiative represents a significant step forward for the world’s largest Buddhist temple.
The complex overhaul is fundamentally designed to enhance tourist visits and provide economic advantages to the surrounding communities, simultaneously ensuring the preservation of the temple.
Introducing the Borobudur Art Village
At the heart of the revitalized compound is the new Borobudur Art Village, sprawling across 10.74 hectares of land. This dedicated hub can host 1,943 vendors and offers extensive parking for 414 motorbikes, 368 cars, and 96 buses.
The brand-new village also boasts a museum chronicling the ancient temple’s history, alongside pavilions, ticket counters, an amphitheater, various culinary kiosks, and a dedicated merchant zone. Designated as the new entrance to Borobudur, the village is slated for inauguration by President Jokowi in early October.
Boosting Tourism and Local Economy
Ministerial Forecasts and Local Preparations
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, projects a substantial increase in Borobudur Temple’s annual visitor count. He forecasts that once the Semarang-Yogyakarta Toll Road is completed, the number might rise to around two million tourists.
“We can expect to rake in two million tourists, including from Thailand, Japan, and China, seeking to embark on a journey here,” he remarked, as cited from his ministry’s statement.
Pandjaitan has also urged the Acting Head of Magelang District, Sepyo Achanto, to facilitate the construction of homestays and prepare local residents to maximize profits. He believes tourists might extend their stay in the region for five to 10 days.
The minister emphasized that preparing, educating, and mentoring local communities would foster the emergence of new micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and increase the frequency of artistic events. He also highlighted the importance of ensuring that regional spatial planning (RTRW) is appropriate and that all structures around Borobudur reflect the Javanese style or the temple’s unique characteristics.
“This is important to preserve our culture here,” he stressed.
Attracting International Visitors
Maya Watono, Marketing and Tourism Programs Director of InJourney, the parent company of PT TWC, underscored Borobudur Temple’s significant potential in developing Indonesia’s cultural and spiritual tourism appeal. She noted the temple’s high value among approximately 450 million Buddhists worldwide, with 64 million residing in Thailand alone.
“Say that we attract at least three percent of the total 64 million potential tourists from Thailand to the Borobudur Temple, we will be able to bring considerable economic benefits to Magelang and Central Java,” she noted in her company’s statement.
To enhance connectivity for Thai travelers, InJourney and Thai Airways signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on August 19. This agreement aims to establish direct flights from Bangkok, Thailand, to Yogyakarta International Airport, which is the closest airport to the temple.
Currently, Borobudur Temple records an annual tourist count of 1.4 million, with foreign tourists accounting for 10 percent of this figure. Watono expressed optimism that the connectivity deal would boost foreign tourist visits by a factor of three to five times.
“The annual tourist count of Borobudur Temple is 1.4 million, with foreign tourists contributing 10 percent to the figure. We are quite optimistic about the connectivity deal shooting up the number of foreign tourist visits by three to five times,” Watono stated as one of the signatories.
Community Engagement and Sustainable Practices
PT TWC President Director Febrina Intan emphasized the crucial need for synergy and collaboration among various stakeholders. These include the Central Java provincial government, the Magelang district government, and local communities, all working to foster the growth of the tourism ecosystem surrounding the temple.
She also confirmed that PT TWC had engaged in dialogue with merchants operating around Borobudur prior to implementing the relocation plan. Most vendors understood that moving to a more suitable space was essential for providing visitors with more memorable experiences.
The Borobudur Temple complex now appears greener following the successful relocation of vendors. PT TWC is also offering MSME training activities to ensure that the Borobudur Art Village positively impacts the economic and social conditions of local residents.
Furthermore, during the trial period, which will conclude by the end of the year, the temple’s management is providing complimentary electric vehicle services. These vehicles transport visitors between the art village and the temple.
“We might dispatch additional electric vehicles in the event of a hike in visitors during school holidays. As for now, we are operating 15 electric vehicles, with a capacity of 23 passengers each,” Intan remarked.
Visitors also have the option to reach Borobudur Temple from the art village by walking along an approximately one-thousand-meter tree-lined route.
