Floating Restaurants: Thousand Islands, West Java

Two floating restaurants to be built in August off Untung Jawa island in Kepulauan Seribu regency are expected to improve the economic conditions and skills of the local population. Djaman Subandiyono, head of the subagency for tourism in the Thousand Islands, as the regency is otherwise known, said the administration began to develop tourism in Untung Jawa in 2002.

“We’re now focusing on training local people to improve their skills,” he said.

The training includes seafood cooking lessons from the Indonesian Cooks’ Association, which are aimed at allowing locals to fully exploit the tourism potential of that local natural resource.

“Not only is the development of the area good for local people, it can contribute to government income as well, ” Djamun said.
Untung Jawa is one of 11 islands in the regency classified as a residential area.

The remaining 342 islands are uninhibited, with some classified as conservation areas.

Besides Untung Jawa, there are several other resorts in the regency, including Bidadari, Matahari and Ayer islands.

Kepulauan Seribu regency is popular with snorkelers, swimmers and divers.

The head of the regency’s Regional Revenue Agency, Ngandri Bagus, said the project, which is expected to be ready by the end of the year, was also aimed at providing people with an alternative, affordable recreation area. This would complete add to other facilities on the island, such as resident-owned bungalows, seafood restaurants and souvenir stalls according to the Jakarta Post article.

“Thirty homeowners here have learned how to create and manage proper rental houses, with each house costing Rp 150,000 a night,” Ngandri said.

Untung Jawa has become a pit stop for jet skiers from nearby islands wanting to take a rest or to enjoy seafood.

According to the Jakarta Tourism Agency, the island attracts some 4,000 people on the weekend. Last year, a total of 68,000 people visited Untung Jawa.

“With the improvement of electricity in the area, which used to suffer from long daily blackouts, we hope (Untung Jawa) can attract more tourists,” Ngandri said.

The local administration has allocated Rp 8 billion from its budget to build the restaurants, which will be built on the western and the eastern ends of the island. The construction will be organized by the city’s small and medium enterprise agency.