JITR(Japan Institute of Tourism Research)-Tohoku

On the other hand, from a tourism perspective as one
of world’s rapid growing industries, such remains ofbygone wars or other catastrophic events will also resultin positive long term impacts on future people’s lives.
Maintaining and promoting post-war or disaster heritage
sites, for examples, have become a new significant nichemarket for a tourist destination, not only to create job
opportunities for the locals, to remind succeeding
generations of the worse impacts of the tragedy, but more
importantly to enhance people’s awareness on disasterrisk reduction towards future disaster risks.

日本観光研究学会東北支部 Newsletter

東北 紀行
Tohoku Travelogue
創刊号／2015 年 5 月／編集：庄子真岐1『東北紀行』創刊のご挨拶
東北支部長

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster (alsoknown as the Aceh Tsunami) with massive devastationand loss, for another example, has created not only a deep
internal trauma for the people of Aceh (Aceh is one ofIndonesia’s 34 provinces located in the north-westernmost part of Indonesia), but also Tsunami remains. The
remains, which if carefully managed will be Aceh’s future
important Tsunami heritage, not only as scientific andeducational purposes, but also new unique tourism
destinations, such as the stranded ship, the boat atop thehouse, Tsunami mass graveyards, stranded mosque dome,
Tsunami heritage trails, Baiturrahman Grand Mosque,Baiturrahim Mosque, survivors with their Tsunami
stories and Aceh Tsunami Museum.

丸岡泰2

東日本大震災から 4 年 2 ヵ月がたち、新しい東北の姿が現れつつあります。復興のために、学会東北会員の観光研究と発信の重要性は高まっています。周知の通り、今年度、東北会員の組織として従来の懇談会を改組した東北支部が設立されました。私は支部長として会員の研究発表機会の確保に努めるつもりです。今般創刊した東北支部 Newsletter『東北紀行』は、東北の旅・観光、復興関連情報、支部活動等をお伝えします。皆様のご高覧とご助言をお願いいたします。本号は去る 3 月の支部発
足総会でのインドネシア・アチェ文化観光庁マーケティ
ング局長（津波博物館前館長）ラマダニ氏講演の要約を掲載します。アチェは津波被災地として東北が学ぶべき先例です。ご参考となれば幸いです。

As the Tsunami remains are considered unique,specific and rarely found in other places, Aceh with its
past large scale disaster event, which is incorporated withother Aceh’s natural beauty and its vibrant sense ofcultural heritage has been designated as a unique
Tsunami-based tourism destination in the north-westernmost part of Indonesia. In addition, a newer term
“memory tourism” or “Aceh Memory Tourism” as part of“Dark Tourism” is also used and applied in order to more
softly and emotionally describe many of the past difficult
situations.

POSITIVE LONG TERM IMPACTS OF ACEH’S
PAST DISASTER

IN CREATING POTENTIALTOURISM DESTINATION: Another Approach

towards Future Community’s Disaster Resilience*
Rahmadhani, M.Bus3
Warsandothercatastrophic events have creatednegative impacts to human lives.
They can heavily destroy all
aspects of human lives in termsof economy, socio-culture, politics and environment builtover generations. The First and Second World Wars andother catastrophic natural disasters are such horrificexamples that have become unforgettable frightening
nightmares within our human life. The events had created
not only the deepest misery, loss, trauma and devastation
for those living within the periods, but also their family
members were torn apart during the tragedy.
12

Nevertheless, promoting Aceh as a potential
Tsunami tourism destination or memory tourism
destination post the human tragedy is not without any
challenges. As it was massively catastrophic, thereconstruction efforts were prioritized in providing
humanitarian aids, rebuilding the shattered economy andcreating a politically stable environment (before theTsunami event, Aceh experienced a long serious armed
political conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and
the Government of Indonesia. The tragedy finally paved
a way to end the conflict between the parties that had

事務局長／石巻専修大学
石巻専修大学3 Marketing

Director, Aceh Culture & Tourism Agency, Aceh
Government/Aceh TELL-NET (Transferring Live Lessons Network)
Initiator-1-

JITR(Japan Institute of Tourism Research)-Tohoku

taken a long period and a greater number of casualties
since 1976).

survivors in order to improve their livelihood post thedisaster. The tourism business run by them varies fromtravel agents, cafe and restaurant managers,
accommodation managers, tourist resort managers,
tourist guides, tour operators to event organizers.
The Aceh Tsunami Museum as an important iconic
Tsunami or memory tourism and other Tsunami-relatedsites has so far turned into popular tourist attractions
among visitors. These sites are mostly preferred as
weekend recreation spots, where powerful memories ofpast Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster still endure.
Amazingly, a growing numbers of domestic andinternational tourists are coming to see and enjoy thesesites while studying about the Tsunami and Tsunami
destruction in Aceh.

As the Acehnese people seriously experienced
grievous feelings, such as hopelessness, missing, pressure,fear, anger, sadness, pain and guilt, in aftermath of thedisaster, it was impossible to pay attention on tourism
issues or promote Aceh as a disaster-based tourism
destination. In other words, it may take some time to plan
and arrange those catastrophic sites as tourism attraction
due to a disaster image, emotion and psychology ofpeople to the past catastrophic events occurred.
Many pros and cons arose when the concept of
Tsunami tourism was publicly introduced. Many
criticized that the disaster-based tourism as an
exploitation of human misery and a practice that demeansand humiliates local residents, especially the survivors.
Meanwhile, others also argued that such tourism todevastated areas can offer a boost to the local livelihood
and raise awareness of the incident.

The number of tourists’ visit (domestic andinternational tourists) to Aceh in 2014 was 1.428.262
tourists consisting of 1.377.541 domestic tourists and50.72 international tourists. This number increased to27% compared to the number of tourists’ visit in 2013.
The number of tourists’ visit (domestic and internationaltourists) to Aceh in 2013 was 1.118.178 tourists
consisting of 1.075.626 domestic tourists and 42.552
international tourists. However, this new kind of tourism
has economically generated a significant income andopen up employment opportunity for the locals.

In short, after years of rehabilitation andreconstruction work, today the people of Aceh havemanaged to overcome the catastrophe and continue withbuilding their cities and life. They also welcome
positively that Aceh is designated a potential Tsunamibased tourism destination by the local government in theefforts to create job opportunities for the locals, to remind
succeeding generations of the worse impacts of thetragedy and to enhance people’s awareness on disasterrisk reduction towards future disaster risks.

To sum up, the disaster eventually proved to be a“blessing in disguise”, which transformed the tragedy
into an opportunity for the Acehnese to leading a better
life in peace like promoting Tsunami or memory tourism.
Through this type of tourism, it will be a media to create
job opportunities for the locals, to remind succeeding
generations of the worse impacts of the tragedy and toenhance people’s awareness on disaster risk reduction.
Additionally, as Japan also experienced similardevastating earthquake and Tsunami that struck off thenorth-eastern part of Japan on March 11, 2011, it also
resulted in not only a massive loss and devastation, butalso Tsunami remains, such as the story of Hamayuri shipthat was carried by the Tsunami and perched on the top ofa small Japanese inn in Otsuchicho. As a result, a joint
research and cooperation in close partnership with Japan
Institute of Tourism Research (JITR) is needed in order tofurther examine the issues of positive long term impacts
in creating potential tourism destination and what actually
motivates individuals to visit sites of dark tourism in theaftermath of the disaster for economic and socio-cultural
benefits of both countries, Japan and Indonesia’s Aceh.

It should be noted that promoting Aceh as a memory
tourism destination does not merely mean tocommercialize or exploit the sufferings and the pains of
the Acehnese for business purposes only. Otherwise,apart from the livelihood improvement in a longer term,
it will be another effective media aimed at showing theglobal tourists on the strength, resilience and patience of
the Acehnese during the past hardship and conveying a
tribute for the outpouring of generosity and sympathy of
the global community and promoting a global sense ofsocial togetherness. It is also an effective media forsharing live stories or lessons learnt of past disaster
experiences on how to explore ways of coping withdisasters and rebuilding stricken communities byshowing residents what happens in the past and the needs
to get to high ground for self-mitigation.
To date, the memory tourism has been as a new nichemarket for a tourist destination and generated significant
income for the tourism players in Aceh, wheresurprisingly many of whom are the past Tsunami*2015 年 3 月 15 日／仙台市戦災復興記念館-2-