Improving The Permitting Process and Promoting Cultural Tourism Yogyakarta

Background - Yogyakarta Population: 500,000 Primary Industry: Cultural Tourism, Educational Institutions

Background – Savannah Population:140,000 Primary Industry: Tourism based on historical preservation

Problem Statement Lengthy process to obtain building permits leads to decrease in revenue and increase in illegal structures Tourism on a steady decline due to numerous local and world events Overall revenue down due to drop in tourism and inadequate collection of taxes and fees Out-dated financial system makes it difficult to keep track of revenues

Project Description – Improving the Building Permitting Process Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the permitting process Reduce the number of days required to process a permit Increase the amount of revenue collected for permits Determine the possibility of improving the permitting process through the development of an on-line system Better educate permit applicants on permitting requirements and regulations Increase compliance with permitting requirements

Project Description – Tourism Update the tourism master plan Better coordinate marketing efforts of the private sector, province, and the city Promote cultural heritage tourism using existing historic, cultural, and commercial assets Develop promotional and expositional materials Increase visitation through the promotion of additional festivals and conferences

Project Description – Revenue Generation Thoroughly document existing revenue collection processes for hotel/restaurant taxes and building permit fees Improve processes through streamlining, improvement of forms and computerization Research different approaches to organizing the revenue collection function Develop a system to audit/investigate revenue collection using hotel/restaurant taxes and building permit fees as pilot projects Develop a program to help citizens better understand the connection between the taxes/fees they pay to the City and services they receive

Results Completed plan to reduce permitting process from 30 to 21 days Jogja Heritage Society took the lead in convening a public meeting between the Yogyakarta community and the Savannah team to discuss “Lessons from Savannah on Urban Heritage Management and Notes for Yogyakarta” at the Vredeburg Fort, an historic site in Yogyakarta.

Lessons Learned Yogyakarta has learned from Savannah how to organize to be able to generate revenue without neglecting culture and the city’s important historical environment. Restoring and preserving cultural assets will create opportunities for economic growth through tourism and job creation. The faster the permitting process the easier for people to register their building and activities and the more likely they will pay the permitting fees.

Sustainability Historical preservation concerns will most likely require that other city actors, including the private sector, become a part of the team that will ultimately insure that tourism increases while valuable historic sites are protected and maintained.

Transfer Cities interested in streamlining bureaucratic government processes or boosting economic development through encouraging more tourism could learn from Yogyakarta. As Indonesia is a country with many historical and cultural sites, there are certainly numerous local governments that could increase tourism simply by protecting and highlighting their natural assets.

Contact Herry Zudianto, Mayor Harundono, Head of City Planning Address: Jalan Kenari No. 56 Yogyakarta Phone: Fax: