Nian Kusumawati C9309049

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THE SERVICE QUALITY PROVIDED BY TOURIST

INFORMATION CENTER OF DINAS KEBUDAYAAN

DAN PARIWISATA (DISBUDPAR) SURAKARTA

FINAL PROJECT REPORT

Submitted as a Partial Requirement in Obtaining Degree in the English Diploma Program, Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts,

Sebelas Maret University

By:

Nian Kusumawati C9309049

ENGLISH DIPLOMA PROGRAM

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND FINE ARTS

SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY

SURAKARTA

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MOTTO

“Listen! Or your tongue will make you

deaf!”

-American Indian proverb

“Shoot for the moon.

Even if you miss,

you will land among the

stars.”

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DEDICATION

This Final Project Report is dedicated to: My beloved parents and family

Someone special My friends

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PREFACE

Firstly, I would like to say thank to Allah SWT, who always blesses and guides me. Secondly, I also express my gratitude to everyone who has supported her in finishing the final project report entitled “The Service Quality Provided by Tourist Information Center of Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) Surakarta”

The final project report contains information about the result of the research by the writer and the problems with solutions included. The writer expects that this final project report is useful for the readers.

Finally, I realize that this final project report still have many errors. The writer will be glad to receive any comments, corrections, and suggestions in order to make this final project report better.

Surakarta, June 2012

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Alhamdulillahirabbil’alamin, I would like to express my highest gratitude to Allah SWT for blessing and guidance given to me, making everything easier in finishing this final project report.

However, I would not be able to finish this report without any help and support from others. Therefore, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to:

1. Drs. Riyadi Santosa, M.Ed, PhD, the Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Sebelas Maret University for approving this report.

2. Yusuf Kurniawan, S.S, M.A, the Head of English Diploma Program and my supervisor. Thank you for your support, kindness, and guidance in giving me suggestions to finish this final project report.

3. Ida Kusuma Dewi, S.S, M.A, as my academic supervisor. Thank you very much for your guidance, support, and advices during my study. I love the way you teach, Mom!

4. All of the lecturers of English Diploma Program for the guidance and the lecture during my study.

5. My beloved parents, Ibu’ and Bapak. Thank you so much for your love, patience, and support. I am very proud to be your daughter. Without you, I’m nothing.

6. My brothers, especially to Mas Dahlan and Mas Erfan, thank you for supporting me all time. You are my greatest motivator ever. Hey, I am not a spoiled girl anymore, huh?

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7. My beloved I.B. Nugroho, thank you for making me stronger everyday. You are the one, bee. I love you more and more.

8. All staffs in Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta, especially to Mas Patrick and Mbak Marita for your kindness and guidance during the job training.

9. My friends in English Diploma Program. To Midud unyu, Fika, Pipit beiby, Dana, Ikha, Icha, Nadia, Fatimah, Retno, Mbak Giana. Yolanda, Vero and all my friends in class B year 2009, thanks for the sweet and unforgettable memories. Will be missing you guys!

10.My beloved Mbak Wina and Mbak Upik, thank you so much for accompanying and treating me. Don’t forget me!

11.Mbak Susi, Mbak Devi and Mbak Heny, thanks for your help.

12.Mas Bowo, thank you for helping me in editing this final project report.

13.Everyone whom cannot be mentioned for helping and supporting me to finish this final project report.

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ABSTRACT

Nian Kusumawati, 2012. The Service Quality Provided by Tourist Information Center of Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) Surakarta. English Diploma Program, Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Sebelas Maret University.

This final project was written based on the job training which was done by the writer from January 9th to February 9th 2012 at Tourist Information Center (TIC) of Surakarta. This final project report has purpose to describe and identify the quality of services provided by TIC. The writer used observation method and library research in the process of collecting data.

Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) built TIC as a division which provides tourists with information relevant to tourism of Surakarta. TIC has an important role in giving good services to tourists in order to create good image of Surakarta especially and Indonesia generally.

The result of this final project report shows that TIC had done several activities to provide good service which refers to five most important things that customers expect from a quality service; reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibility. However, TIC also has several problems in giving services, such as the lack of tourist information, the lack of human resources, and the lack of sign-board facilities in DISBUDPAR office. Therefore, the writer gives solutions to improve service quality, they are providing better sign-boards to tourists, adding more TIC officers, and maintaining & updating information on the website.

Hopefully, the writer expects that the readers can get benefit from this final project report.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPROVAL OF CONSULTANT ... ii

APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS ... iii

MOTTOES ... iv

DEDICATION ... v

PREFACE ... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... vii

ABSTRACT ... ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1

A. Background ... 1

B. Objectives ... 3

C. Benefits ... 3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ... 4

A. Introduction………. ... 4

B. Definitions ... ₄

C. Tourist Information Center ... 6

D. Service ………7

E. Service Quality……….…………...8

CHAPTER III: DISCUSSION……….…………...10

A.General Description of DISBUDPAR Surakarta………10

B. Description of Surakarta Tourist Information Center..………..13

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D.Job Training Activities……… 16

E. The Quality of Services Provided by Tourist Information Center of Surakarta………..……… 18

F. The Problems Faced by Tourist Information Center in Giving Services for Tourists………..……. 21

G.The Solutions of Tourist Information Center to Improve Service Quality for Tourists………... 22

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION………... 24

A. Conclusion……… 24

B. Suggestion……… 25 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of the Indonesian economy due to the income generated by the consumption of goods and services by tourists, the taxes levied on business in the tourism industry, and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services such as cruise ships and taxis, accommodation such as hotels, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues, and other hospitality industry services such as spas and resorts. Lea states that tourism is centred on the travellers themselves or on a variety of exotic destinations, without considering who actually controls the international market (1988:5). Lea also states that tourism is an invisible export with the unique characteristic that the purchasers of its ‘product’ have to travel to a foreign destination in person to consume them (ibid).

Indonesia has many tourist destinations. One of tourist destinations is in Solo or Surakarta. It is located in Central Java. There are some popular destinations for cultural tourism in Surakarta such as Pura Mangkunegaran Palace, Kasunanan Palace, Radya Pustaka Museum, Klewer Batik Market, and others.

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Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) is the local government institution which manages the tourism in Surakarta in order to promote and advertise them. Furthermore, the main roles of Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) are handling the tourism matters and increasing the number of tourists coming to Surakarta.

For that reason, Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) develops Tourist Information Center as a division which provides visitors with information on the area’s attraction, lodgings, maps, and other items relevant to tourism. Therefore, TIC officer must have ability to plan and predict what the tourists want. They should give good service to the tourists to make the tourists enjoy and stay longer in Surakarta.

The writer chose Surakarta Tourist Information Centre as the place of the job training, due to the fact that Tourist Information Centre has an important role in giving information and good services to the tourists in order to create good image of Surakarta. For that reason, the writer was highly interested to know and learn more by identifying the quality of services provided by the Tourist Information Centre.

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B. Objectives

The objectives of this final project report are as follows:

1. To describe the activities during the job training at the Tourist Information Center of Surakarta.

2. To describe and identify the quality of services provided by Tourist Information Center of Surakarta.

3. To reveal the problems and solutions for Tourist Information Center of Surakarta in giving services for tourists.

C. Benefits

This final project report is expected to give benefits to: 1. Tourist Information Center (TIC)

The result of this project can be used as additional information to evaluate the quality of services.

2. Public

The research is expected to give an overview about the services provided by the Tourist Information Center of Surakarta.

3. Other researchers

The research can be used as additional reference to identify more deeply in analyzing the service provided by Tourist Information Center of Surakarta

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CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Introduction

This chapter presents reading materials which are related and relevant to the current study. The following related literature and studies were reviewed by the writer to establish clear perspective of the present study.

B. Definitions 1. Definition of Tourism

Tourism is an activity done by people and beneficial to them in getting pleasure. According to E. Guyer Fuller, quoted by Oka A. Yoeti in his book

Pengantar Ilmu Pariwisata, it is stated that :

“Tourism is an indication based on health need, changing season and true judgment of the tourism objects, such as: natural wonder basically for fun and pleasure. The activity is fun and pleasure happens in this interaction caused by relation between government and society as the result of training industry.” (Yoeti, 1983: 115)

As a contributor of revenue to the country, tourism is one of the biggest contributor among the other government’s sectors and it can support the economic growth. According to Dr. Salah Wahab, it is stated that:

“Tourism is one of new industrial types that have capability to produce the economic growth rapidly in provision of employments, earnings improvements, standard of living, and stimulate other productivity sectors. Furthermore, as a complicated sector, it is consists of actually classical industries like handicraft and souvenir industries. Economically, hotel and

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In developing tourism industry, tourism must have good relations and reciprocity with other sectors or other business sectors. According to Robert Mclntosh & Shasikant Gupta, quoted by Oka A. Yoeti, it is stated that “Tourism is a combination of symptoms and relationship that appeared from tourist interaction, business, host government, as well as host communities in process to attract and serve tourist and other visitors.”(Yoeti, 1983:122)

Based on the statements above, the writer concludes that the meaning of tourism is short term movement of people to destination places outside their normal environment and activities in a certain period of time for fun and pleasure and this activity will give impact to the economic growth of a region. 2. Definitions of Tourist

A definition about tourist according to G.A Schmoll which is quoted by Oka A. Yoeti in his book Pengantar Ilmu Pariwisata, it isstated that:

“Tourist is individuals or group of individuals who considering their purchasing power available for vacation and recreational travel, interest in and motivation for travel in general, past travel behavior, existing knowledge, interest in and awareness concerning their services or destination concerned,

are likely prospects for future visit.” (Yoeti, 1996:139)

Here, G.A. Schmoll describes that tourist is person or group who are considering and planning their budget to have vacation. Tourist also must have motivation for traveling in general and to increase their knowledge.

Meanwhile, according to Cohen, quoted by Toety H. Noerhadi in his book Psikologi Pariwisata, “Tourist is a person who conducts a trip in

temporarily with their own desire. Hopefully, they will get an enjoyment from the new things and changes experienced during relatively long trip and not repetitive.” (Noerhadi, 1998:5)

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Cohen explains that tourist is person travelling in a certain period for many purposes and expects new experiences during the trip.

Based on the explanations above, it can be concluded that the meaning of tourist is a person or a group who are considering their budget to travel outside their life and work in a certain period of time for fun and pleasure or to get new experiences and increase their knowledge.

C. Tourist Information Center

1. Tourist Information Center

Tourism brings many impacts to economic development of country. Therefore, a well-organized institution and infrastructures should be provided to maintain it. According to Yoeti, “Infrastructures are all facilities which make economic process run smoothly and make it easier for the people to supply their needs.” (Yoeti, 1996:67)

Moreover, Prof. Salah Wahab says that, “Infrastructures are all facilities which are needed by tourists including home stays recreational and sport centers, transportation, accommodations, and Tourist Information Center (TIC).” (Wahab, 1976:79)

The definition about Tourist Information Center comes from Dr. Salah Wahab “TIC is tourist information office which is located in the entrance of a country, city, or particular place.” (ibid)

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In summary, TIC is an office located in a representative area of a city providing service in giving accurate information to the tourists related to accommodations, travels, entertainments, and leisure facilities.

D. Service

According to Kloter, quoted by Eric Laws, “Service is an activity that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything.” (Laws, 1952:78)

Meanwhile, Akter quotes that:

“Services include all economic activities whose output is not a physical

product or construction, it is generally consumed at the time, it is produced and provides added value in forms (such as convenience, amusement, timeliness, comfort or health) that are essentially intangible concerns of its first purchaser”. (Akter, 2008:3)

Another definition comes from Gronroos, “Service is an object of transaction by firms, and institutions that generally offer services or that consider themselves service organizations.” (Gronroos, 1995:14)

Basically, it can be described that service is essentially intangible. Service is one of important things that should be done well by company or institution to make people or customer satisfied. It does not produce any possession. An activity, benefit or satisfaction is offered to sell.

Based on the definitions above, it can be concluded that service is an activity that is intangible offered by a firm or institution and has a purposes to give satisfaction for their customers.

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In addition, Time Management International has mentioned the characteristics of service that is quoted by Seaton. The characteristics are as follows:

1. Service is intangible. It cannot be easily measured. 2. Service cannot be taken away to show someone else.

3. On being provided service, the consumers have not acquired anything.

4. It is difficult to standardize. 5. Service perceived differently by:

a. Different people in the same group. b. The same person at different times.

c. People from different social/ culture groups.

d. People with different levels of knowledge/ experience. 6. Perceptions relate to expectations. (Seaton, 1996: 446)

E. Service Quality

Talking about service, it should be noted that service can not be separated from quality. Quality is things that brings some products or services competitive advantages and long- term profitability. According to The

International Standards Organization which is quoted by Michael Morgan,

“Quality is the totally of features and characteristic of a product or service which bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied need.” (Morgan, 1996:87)

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In regard to quality of service, Zeithami and Berry mention that there are five most important things that customers expect from a quality service which is also quoted by Michael Morgan. They are:

1. Reliability, the promised service is performed dependably and accurately.

2. Responsiveness, the service is prompt and the staffs are willing to help.

3. Assurance, the staffs are knowledgeable, courteous, and inspire confidence.

4. Empathy, costumers are giving caring, individual attention.

5. Tangibility, the physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communications (signs, documents, and correspondence) create a good impression. (Morgan, 1996:158)

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CHAPTER III

DISCUSSION

A. General Description of DISBUDPAR Surakarta 1. History

Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata of Surakarta has changed its name several times. Tourism Department of Surakarta, recently known as Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan of Surakarta, was established in 1985 which is based on the decree of the Mayor of Surakarta No.29/HK/05/PHG 70. Then, along with the issuance of decrees No.22/1999 (about territorial administration and government regulation) and No. 84/2000 (about the regional staff rules), the Mayor of Surakarta changed the name of Tourism Department of Surakarta into Art, Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta. In 2008, based on the Mayor of Surakarta decree No.16/2008 (about the regional staff rules, the name of Art, Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta was changed into Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata of Surakarta.

2. Location

Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata of Surakarta is located between Wisma Niaga Hall and Radya Pustaka Museum at Jl. Slamet Riyadi no.275 Solo, Central Java, Indonesia.

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3. Vision and Mission

The vision and mission of Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata of Surakarta Surakarta are as follows:

a. Vision

Surakarta will be directed to become a well- known tourism destination in Indonesia based on culture and art.

DISBUDPAR has relationship principle with strong pillars, such as city government, culturist, and tourism performer society that will create the optimization of tourism potential.

Creating Surakarta as a tourist destination city based on culture. b. Mission

Encouraging preservation and attention of object and the best tourist attraction, to improve the quality of local tourism development.

Providing accurate information in tourism and cultural sectors with the supply of qualified human resources.

Improving the quality of human resources in tourism and cultural sector and supplying the public service oriented to the customers. Implementing the relationship with the tourism practitioners and other stakeholders in the framework of tourism.

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4. Divisions at the Department

There are six departments in Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta.

a. The Head of Culture and Tourism Department

The main duty of the official head is to carry out the governmental affairs in the tourism, art, history, culture, and archeology sectors. Other duties of the Head are to arrange the strategic planning, to formulate the technical policies, and to analyze the problems faced by the office.

b. Marketing Division

The department which consists of two sub-divisions, Tourism Promotion Sub- division and Tourism Service and Information Sub- division, has duty to maintain the tourism promotion and information service.

c. Artistic, Cultural, Historical and Archaeological Division

The department consists of two sub- divisions, Operation and Continuance of Cultural and Asset Development Sub-division. The department has duties to preserve the heritage and tourism assets in Surakarta and to develop the tourism attraction in Surakarta.

d. Tourism Service Division

The division has a duty to handle problems related to accommodation for tourists, recreation and public entertainment.

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Tourism Accommodation Sub-division and Recreation and Public EntertainmentSub-division are the sub-division of this Division. e. Construction Program Division

The division has a duty to make the strategic plans for the department. There are two sub-divisions in this division namely Planning Sub-Division and Audit, Evaluating, Report Sub-division. f. Administration Division

The main duty of this division is to undertake the general administration affairs, official home affairs, and equipment. This division has three sub- divisions. Those are Evaluating, Control and Report Sub-division, Finance Sub-division, and Public and Officer Sub-division.

e. Description of Surakarta Tourist Information Center (TIC)

Tourist Information Center (TIC) is a part of Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta. It is sub- division under marketing division which serves both foreign and domestic tourist. The main service of TIC is giving information about tourist destinations in Surakarta. The information which is given to tourists should inform about tourist destinations, transportations, accommodations, shopping centers, culinary spots, and etc.

To inform tourists about tourist destinations and events, TIC provides brochures, leaflets, a guide map of Surakarta, tourist destination catalogue,

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calendar of cultural events which are given to tourists for free. TIC officers also provide tour guide and cars for rent.

In Surakarta, there are two TICs in different locations. The first one is the TIC located in Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata of Surakarta which becomes the main subject of this final project. The second one is the TIC located in Adi Sumarmo Airport.

TIC opens from 07.30 am to 05.00 pm, an hour longer than working time of other divisions at Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta. Considering that more tourists visit Solo on weekdays, it is also open in weekends.

The staffs of TIC are requested to master foreign languages, especially English. They should master other foreign languages such as French, Dutch, Japanese, and Mandarin because based on the statistic most foreign tourists are from European countries and Middle Asian countries.

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f. Organizational Chart

HEAD of DINAS KEBUDAYAAN DAN PARIWISATA of SURAKARTA

FUNCTION POSITION GROUP

The SECRETARIAT

PUBLIC SUB UNIT

SUB UNIT of FUNCTIONAL

SUB UNIT of GENERAL EMPLOYMENT CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM DIVISON TOUR MEANS DIVISION ARTISTIC CULTURAL TOUR ASSET CONTROL and DEVELOPMENT MARKETING DIVISION PLANNING SECTION EVALUATING CONTROLING and REPORTING SECTION TOUR ACCOMODATION PUBLIC ENTERTAINME NT and RECREATION SECTION ARTISTIC CULTURAL TOUR ASSET CONTROL and DEVELOPMENT CULTURAL and ARTISTIC ASSET SECTION TOUR PROMOTION SECTION TOURISM SERVICE AND INFORMATION SECTION

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D. Job Training Activities

The writer started the job training from January 9th 2012 and ended on February 9th 2012. The activities were done in Tourist Information Center of Culture and Tourism Department of Surakarta. The working hours started at 07.30 am and finished at 02.30 pm on Monday until Thursday and 07.30 am and finished at 11.00 am on Friday. The main duties are as follows:

1. Welcoming and Giving Information to the Guest

When foreign or domestic tourists came, the apprentice greeted and smiled at them. Then the writer asked the tourists what they wanted. After that, the apprentice gave information needed by them. Almost all the tourists asked questions such as, “Could you give the direction of this place?” or “May I have the tourist destination map of Solo?” or “Could you give me recommendation of interesting tourist destination over here?” and other similar questions. The apprentice gave them map of Solo and gave detailed directions of the destination they asked. The writer also explained how much the cost needed to go to the destination. If they asked about cultural performance, the writer described what it was and the ticket fare.

The calendar of cultural events provided by Tourist Information Center was very helpful for the apprentice in giving information to the tourist. It mentioned cultural events that are held in Surakarta in 2012. Almost all of foreign tourists asked about the events; it showed that the tourists were very enthusiastic to visit it.

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Besides calendar of cultural events, the writer also gave other brochures and leaflets about other tourist destinations. This act should be done by the writer to give recommendation to the tourists and also to promote tourism of Surakarta. The writer usually showed them “Solo and Surroundings” leaflet. It described several tourist destinations in bilingual languages, Indonesian and English, so it was easier for the tourists to understand. It was also completed with images related to each destination which were attractive and clear enough.

2. Answering Phone Calls and Receiving Mails

One of the duties of the writer is handling telephone calls. In receiving calls, the first thing to do was greeting the caller first, and then asked the caller wanted. If the caller wanted to speak with one of the officer staffs, the writer connected to the related extension number. The apprentice also received mails, invitations, and brochures from other institutions and companies that had business in tourism sector.

3. Listing Foreign Tourist

To arrange statistic data for Tourist Information Center, every foreign tourist must fill a form bearing information such as name, nationality, present address, length of stay in Surakarta, purpose, impression, and suggestions. Most of the tourists felt satisfied to the services given by TIC staffs and very impressed with tourism of Solo.

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E. The Quality of Services Provided by Tourist Information Center of Surakarta

Surakarta TIC as a division under Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata of Surakarta institution has responsibilities to give good service to the tourists visiting Surakarta. This chapter discusses the quality of service provided by Surakarta Tourist Information Center which refers to five dimensions of service quality by considering the instruments and observation result.

a. Reliability

TIC provided information sources which had correlation with tourism components such as tourism organizations (ASITA), government institutions (DISBUDPAR), travel information center, individual business promotion (restaurants, hotels, travel agents, etc) and regional tourist associations (Asosiasi Biro Wisata Surakarta).

In addition, TIC also provided car rent service and guide. The staffs often recommended the tourists to visit Sukuh and Cetho Temple. b. Responsiveness

One of the duties of TIC officers is giving information accurately to the tourists about objects or events in Solo. They are very helpful in giving information to tourists who are visiting Solo for the first time. It can be seen from their willingness to help tourists and their efforts to give prompt service, for example, there is always an officer in TIC front office

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desk even though it is breaking hour. Therefore, tourists or guests can information quickly without waiting until the lunch time end.

c. Assurance

TIC officers mastered English as a foreign language. They speak English fluently which is very important to deliver the message or information to foreign tourists. Beside English, one of the TIC officers has ability in mastering Dutch.

The officers had lot of experiences in tourism world. Before work at TIC office, they had job as a tourist guide for many years. They had faced many characters of tourists from different countries. For that reason, they could serve and know well what the tourists needs. For example, the officers can give recommendation to backpackers about accommodations, tourist destinations, hotel or home stay which is affordable for them because they usually have limited budget.

d. Empathy

TIC officers always tried to serve the tourists as well as they can. They were very friendly when they were talking to the guests or tourists visited TIC. They greeted and smiled when the tourists came. While giving service, TIC officers never let the guests or tourists wait for a long time. They always asked the tourists about where they come from, how long they will stay in Solo, where they want to after Solo. They often made a joke while communicating with the tourists and sometimes the officers took photographs with them. Giving good service would make

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good opinion from the tourists about the hospitability of Surakarta people especially and Indonesian generally.

e. Tangibility

1. Physical Facilities

TIC front office desk is clean and arranged well. Behind the desk there is a cabinet to keep many kinds of brochures, books, and leaflets related to tourist destinations in Indonesia. Above the cabinet there are small statues, miniatures, and gifts from the tourists or other institutions. There is also a set of chairs and table for guests who want to take a rest.

There are two toilets near TIC front desk. The toilets are clean and comfortable because there was an officer who always cleaned it every morning.

2. Communication materials

To help tourists getting information completely, TIC provides leaflets, guide maps of Solo, brochures, and tourist destination catalogues. All of the materials use bilingual both Indonesian and English. The explanation is also clear enough. If the tourists want to know events or carnivals held in Solo for the whole year, they can bring calendar of cultural events which are provided by TIC for free.

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F. The Problems Faced by Tourist Information Center in Giving Services for Tourists

During the job training, the writer found several problems faced by Tourist Information Center. The problems made Tourist Information Center can not work optimally. The problems were as follows:

1. The lack of tourist information.

Unfortunately, the location of TIC office is not strategic enough because it is about 200 meters away from the main road and located inside Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) office. Most of the tourists are usually get difficulty to find TIC office because the sign showing the location is too small.

TIC also has a website at www.visit-solo.com to provide information for everyone who wants to visit Surakarta. However, the website is not up to date and complete enough.

2. The lack of human resources.

The officers handling TIC were only two persons. One of the officers rarely handled front office desk because he usually took the tourist to go to tourist destinations or accompany DISBUDPAR staffs to have a duty outside the office. Therefore, there was just an officer who often faced many obstacles and needed to be assisted in handling TIC when there were many guests or tourists visiting TIC.

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3. The lack of sign-board facilities in DISBUDPAR office.

Tourists were usually confused when they wanted to find toilets. There was no sign to show the toilet location. The TIC officers should inform the location first, so that the tourists felt comfortable.

G. The Solutions of Tourist Information Center to Improve Service Quality for Tourists

After knowing some problems faced by TIC in giving services for the tourists, there are several solutions to solve the problems. The solutions proposed are providing better sign-boards for the tourists, adding more TIC officers, maintaining and updating information on TIC website.

1. Providing better sign-boards to tourists.

To overcome the difficulties faced by tourists who want to go to TIC, it is needed to change the sign-board to show location of TIC office by making it bigger. Therefore, tourists will easily find TIC office which is located inside DISBUDPAR office. TIC should also provide sign-boards to show the toilet location because it is one of the facilities which is often used by tourists.

2. Adding more TIC officers.

By adding or recruiting more officers will be very helpful to handle TIC front office desks, especially when there are many guests visiting TIC, the officers can be more responsive to give better service. One of the

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officers can pick up the telephone calls or send faxes while the others are serving the guests.

3. Maintaining and updating information on the website.

TIC should maintain the quality of information that have provided in the website at www.visit-solo.com by allocate more information about tourism in Surakarta and surroundings. The website also needs to be up-dated regularly and arranged to be more attractive to read.

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion

During the job training at TIC of Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) Surakarta, the writer had done several activities, they were; welcoming and giving information to the guest, answering phone calls and receiving mails, and also listing foreign tourists.

The writer got a lot of knowledge and experiences. She felt more confident and fluent while communicating with them. She could learn how to give information in a good way and promote tourist destinations.

From the discussion, the writer concluded that TIC had done several activities in the efforts to provide good service which refer to the five dimensions of service quality, such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibility.

In term of reliability, the TIC officers always tried to gave information correctly and accurately, especially questions about tourism of Surakarta. In term of responsiveness, all of the officers were willing to help the tourists and give prompt service, although it was during the breaking hours. In term of assurance, the officers had knowledge about tourism of Surakarta and could speak English well. There was also an officer who mastered Dutch. In term of empathy, the officers gave individualized attention to tourists. They were always polite and friendly while communicating with tourists. For the

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tangibility, TIC provided comfortable front desk and seating arrangements, clean toilets, and communication materials such as leaflets, guide maps of Solo, brochures, and tourist destination catalogues.

However, there were several problems faced by TIC in giving services, such as the lack of tourist information, the lack of human resources, and the lack of sign- board facilities in DISBUDPAR office.

There were several solutions to improve service quality for the tourists. The solutions proposed were providing better sign-boards to tourists, adding more TIC officers, and maintaining & updating information on the website.

B. Suggestions

Based on the discussion above, the suggestions given by the writer to the Tourist Information Center and English Diploma Program are as follows: 1. Tourist Information Center of Surakarta

a. TIC officers should improve their language skill. TIC officers should be able to master other languages besides English. It will be helpful for the officers to serve tourists who can not speak English well.

b. Smoking should be banned in TIC front office desk. It will be more comfortable for tourists or guests who are visiting TIC. Furthermore, it will create good image about the cleanliness of TIC.

c. TIC office should be separated from DISBUDPAR office. Therefore, it will be easier for everyone who wants to go to TIC. DISBUDPAR have

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to make coordination with government and other institutions to get sponsors.

2. English Diploma Program

English Diploma Program should improve the students’ language skill by adding native speakers as lecturers. The students can learn more from the native speakers the way they speak English as their mother language.

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F. The Problems Faced by Tourist Information Center in Giving Services for Tourists

During the job training, the writer found several problems faced by Tourist Information Center. The problems made Tourist Information Center can not work optimally. The problems were as follows:

1. The lack of tourist information.

Unfortunately, the location of TIC office is not strategic enough because it is about 200 meters away from the main road and located inside Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) office. Most of the tourists are usually get difficulty to find TIC office because the sign showing the location is too small.

TIC also has a website at www.visit-solo.com to provide information for everyone who wants to visit Surakarta. However, the website is not up to date and complete enough.

2. The lack of human resources.

The officers handling TIC were only two persons. One of the officers rarely handled front office desk because he usually took the tourist to go to tourist destinations or accompany DISBUDPAR staffs to have a duty outside the office. Therefore, there was just an officer who often faced many obstacles and needed to be assisted in handling TIC when there were many guests or tourists visiting TIC.

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3. The lack of sign-board facilities in DISBUDPAR office.

Tourists were usually confused when they wanted to find toilets. There was no sign to show the toilet location. The TIC officers should inform the location first, so that the tourists felt comfortable.

G. The Solutions of Tourist Information Center to Improve Service Quality for Tourists

After knowing some problems faced by TIC in giving services for the tourists, there are several solutions to solve the problems. The solutions proposed are providing better sign-boards for the tourists, adding more TIC officers, maintaining and updating information on TIC website.

1. Providing better sign-boards to tourists.

To overcome the difficulties faced by tourists who want to go to TIC, it is needed to change the sign-board to show location of TIC office by making it bigger. Therefore, tourists will easily find TIC office which is located inside DISBUDPAR office. TIC should also provide sign-boards to show the toilet location because it is one of the facilities which is often used by tourists.

2. Adding more TIC officers.

By adding or recruiting more officers will be very helpful to handle TIC front office desks, especially when there are many guests visiting TIC, the officers can be more responsive to give better service. One of the

commit to user

officers can pick up the telephone calls or send faxes while the others are serving the guests.

3. Maintaining and updating information on the website.

TIC should maintain the quality of information that have provided in the website at www.visit-solo.com by allocate more information about tourism in Surakarta and surroundings. The website also needs to be up-dated regularly and arranged to be more attractive to read.

commit to user

24

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion

During the job training at TIC of Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (DISBUDPAR) Surakarta, the writer had done several activities, they were; welcoming and giving information to the guest, answering phone calls and receiving mails, and also listing foreign tourists.

The writer got a lot of knowledge and experiences. She felt more confident and fluent while communicating with them. She could learn how to give information in a good way and promote tourist destinations.

From the discussion, the writer concluded that TIC had done several activities in the efforts to provide good service which refer to the five dimensions of service quality, such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibility.

In term of reliability, the TIC officers always tried to gave information correctly and accurately, especially questions about tourism of Surakarta. In term of responsiveness, all of the officers were willing to help the tourists and give prompt service, although it was during the breaking hours. In term of assurance, the officers had knowledge about tourism of Surakarta and could speak English well. There was also an officer who mastered Dutch. In term of empathy, the officers gave individualized attention to tourists. They were always polite and friendly while communicating with tourists. For the

commit to user

tangibility, TIC provided comfortable front desk and seating arrangements, clean toilets, and communication materials such as leaflets, guide maps of Solo, brochures, and tourist destination catalogues.

However, there were several problems faced by TIC in giving services, such as the lack of tourist information, the lack of human resources, and the lack of sign- board facilities in DISBUDPAR office.

There were several solutions to improve service quality for the tourists. The solutions proposed were providing better sign-boards to tourists, adding more TIC officers, and maintaining & updating information on the website.

B. Suggestions

Based on the discussion above, the suggestions given by the writer to the Tourist Information Center and English Diploma Program are as follows: 1. Tourist Information Center of Surakarta

a. TIC officers should improve their language skill. TIC officers should be able to master other languages besides English. It will be helpful for the officers to serve tourists who can not speak English well.

b. Smoking should be banned in TIC front office desk. It will be more comfortable for tourists or guests who are visiting TIC. Furthermore, it will create good image about the cleanliness of TIC.

c. TIC office should be separated from DISBUDPAR office. Therefore, it will be easier for everyone who wants to go to TIC. DISBUDPAR have

commit to user

to make coordination with government and other institutions to get sponsors.

2. English Diploma Program

English Diploma Program should improve the students’ language skill by adding native speakers as lecturers. The students can learn more from the native speakers the way they speak English as their mother language.