More than jedug-jedug: dynamics of discontent with tourist activity in Prawirotaman, Yogyakarta

Abstract

Residents of Kampung Prawirotaman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia respond differently to night-time tourist activity. This historic batik kampung was transformed into an international tourist destination, sowing resident discontent over traffic, anti-social behaviour and noise. Conflict with religious values also features in this dynamic. Observations and in-depth interviews with residents, artists, and hotel/café owners in Prawirotaman and surrounding Islamic kampungs differentiated two phases of touristification. From the 1980s through the 1990s, batik factories were turned into lodgings primarily serving backpackers, and global practices co-existed with traditional culture. Prawirotaman became known as Kampung Bule, a neighbourhood for foreign tourists, reflecting optimism that tourism would define its identity. Then three consecutive crises (the 1998 Asian monetary crisis, the 2002 Bali bombing, and the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake) propelled Prawirotaman into the second touristification phase. Welcoming higher-end visitors brought rising prosperity, but residents became unhappy about the noise, traffic, and late-night drinking. This dynamic became more complex as residents of surrounding religious kampungs, Karangkajen and Jogokariyan, added their voices. Forming a mosque alliance, they instigated a massive crack-down on the sale of alcohol in restaurants and cafés during the New Year celebrations of 2018. This response to the impact of tourism in Prawirotaman suggests that the current level of discontent corresponds to the final stage of the ‘Irridex’ model in which the residents have become openly hostile toward tourism.