bandung hotels, tourism and travel, West Java - indonesia

The number of air travelers during the 2008 year-end festive season dropped slightly from the previous year, a government official said on Wednesday.

Tri Sunoko, director of air transport at the Ministry of Transportation, said that over the year-end holiday this year, 1.4 million people traveled via air carriers, slightly declining from the same period last year.

“Last year, 1.44 million people chose to travel by plane,” he said.

The Indonesian subsidiary of Malaysia's budget carrier Air Asia is planning to open at least 10 international routes in Indonesia this year to help reach its target of carrying 3.5 million passengers from Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Air Asia Indonesia president director Dharmadi said Thursday the company hoped to generate Rp 2 trillion (US$185 million) of revenue from Indonesia this year, as against Rp 1.6 trillion from carrying 2.4 million passengers in 2008.

Air Asia plans to open this year a new route linking Bandung and Singapore by operating two A-320s, each aircraft having a capacity of 180 seats.

Ujung Kulon National Park is the first national park, founded in Indonesia. The park (80,000 ha) lies on a peninsula in south-west Java and includes the islands Pulau Peucang, Pulau Panaitan and the Krakatau archipelago. On 1 February, 1992, the Proposed Ujung Kulon National Park complex and the Krakatau Islands Nature Reserve were declared a World Heritage Site. The borders on the north, south and west side of Ujung Kulon are made up by the Indian Ocean. The Honje mountain range, including the highest point of the park Gunung Honje (620 m), forms the eastern border. The Indian Ocean is the main access route. It includes the volcanic island group of Krakatoa and other islands including Handeuleum and Peucang. The park encompasses an area of 1,206 km² (443 km² marine), most of which lies on a peninsula reaching into the Indian Ocean.

Gede Pangrango National Park, together with four others, was established under a declaration made by the minister of Agriculture on 6th March, 1980. These first five park had the distinction of launching Indonesia's National Park Programme.

The park, covering 15,196 ha, evolved from several already existing conservation areas: Cibodas Nature Reseve (240 ha), gazetted in 1889, was the oldest reserve in Indonesia and in 1925 was extended to 1,040 ha; Cimungkat Nature Reserve (56 ha) gazetted in 1919; situgunung Recreational Park (120 ha) gazetted in 1975; and Mount Gede Pangrango nature Reserve (14,000 ha) gazetted in 1978.