Yogyakarta Prepares Hotel Moratorium In The Philosophy Asymptomatic Core Zone

Drivers passing near the Yogyakarta Palace, DI Yogyakarta/ANTARA PHOTO/Hendra Nurdiyansyah/rwa.

YOGYAKARTA - The Yogyakarta City Government has stated that it will impose a moratorium or temporary suspension of granting permits for the construction of new hotels in the core area (core zone) of the Philosophy Axi.

Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo said the moratorium policy had been stated in the draft Mayor's Regulation (Perwal) which had been harmonized with the DIY Regional Government (Pemda) as the legal basis for its implementation.

"The limit is a moratorium, not a prohibition, yes. If it is for a ban to wait for a study," said Hasto as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 21.

He revealed that the new policy had been submitted to representatives of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) DIY.

Hasto appealed to hotel managers to no longer plan construction in the core zone of the Philosophy Flats which covers the right and left areas of the route that runs straight from the Pal Putih Monument, Malioboro, the Yogyakarta Palace, to the Krapyak Stage.

"I convey to my friends in the management, hotel managers so they don't have the desire from now on to build in this 'core zone'," he said.

The results of a study conducted by the Yogyakarta City Government show that the number of hotels in the core area of the world heritage is currently sufficient, so a moratorium is needed.

"Inevitably, it has become a mandatory that we have to carry out. A temporary study shows that the number of hotels is sufficient," he said.

Hasto emphasized that the moratorium applies to all hotel classifications, including four- and five-star hotels.

The policy differs from the previous moratorium imposed in 2020, which still provides concessions for the construction of high-end hotels.

"In the 'core zone' of the Philosophy Axis, all (classifications) of our hotels are moratorium," he said.

He also ensured that all administrative procedures related to the moratorium had been completed, including synchronization with the DIY Provincial Government.

"Yesterday we had a meeting to unite ideas with the province and have synchronized. The official procedure has been completed," said Hasto.

UNESCO appointed the Yogyakarta Philosophy Axis as one of Indonesia's world heritages at the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee or WHC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on September 18, 2023.

The Yogyakarta Philosophy Axis on the UNESCO World Heritage List entitled "The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and It's Historical Landmarks" is recognized as a world heritage because it is considered to have a universal meaning.

The concept of spatial planning, known as the Yogyakarta Philosophy Axis, was first initiated by the First King of the Ngayogyakarta Sultanate Hadiningrat in the 18th century.

This spatial layout concept is based on the Javanese conception and is in the form of a straight road structure that stretches between the Krapyak Stage in the south, the Yogyakarta Palace, and the Yogyakarta Tugu to the north.