Bali bets on recovery as peak season draws close<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A slow rise in hotel occupancy rates and tourists trickling
\nback ahead of the holiday peak season next month are sparking
\nhopes that the worst has passed for Bali's tourism sector,
\ndevastated by the Oct. 12 bombing.<\/p>\n
Minister of Tourism and Culture I Gde Ardika said Bali's
\ntourism sector might have begun to recover, led by an influx of
\ndomestic tourists.<\/p>\n
He said that some of Bali's hotel occupancy rates had
\nrecovered to about 26 percent, from single-digits in the weeks
\nafter the terrorist strike.<\/p>\n
International arrivals have stabilized at 700 people per day,
\nand now the number of people leaving the island no longer exceeds
\nthose arriving. Such positive signals are emerging, even though
\nBali's peak season is still a month away.<\/p>\n
\"Although it (the recovery) is very small, indications show
\nthat we have passed the low point,\" Ardika told reporters after a
\nmedia conference held by the alumnae of the Association of
\nIndonesian Students in the United States (Permias) on Monday.<\/p>\n
To be sure, domestic tourists account for most of the recent
\npositive signs, while foreigners, who represent Bali's greatest
\nmarket share, have yet to return.<\/p>\n
Yet, the upturn marks a break from the slump that spread
\nacross the island's tourism sector following last month's attack.<\/p>\n
The bomb explosions in Kuta devastated a popular nightspot
\ncrammed with foreign tourists, killing more than 190 people.<\/p>\n
In the days after, hotel occupancy rates on the island plunged
\nto below 10 percent, from 90 percent before the attack.<\/p>\n
By Oct 15, international arrivals dropped to 2,833 a day, from
\nan average of 4,650 in the two weeks preceding the bomb blasts.<\/p>\n
But now, Ardika is betting on a steady recovery even after
\nnext month's peak season has passed.<\/p>\n
According to him, once people have returned from an enjoyable
\nand safe stay on Bali, the island's image will improve and more
\ntourists are likely to return.<\/p>\n
\"If hotel occupancy and (tourists) arrivals continue to rise
\nuntil Christmas ... hopefully that will have stirred enough
\nmarket confidence,\" he said. \"It'll be a turning point for the
\ntourism sector and everything will start to move forward.\"<\/p>\n
In an effort to lure back tourists, numerous hotels and travel
\nagencies have turned to the domestic markets with a variety of
\ndiscount packages.<\/p>\n
Ardika said the return of domestic tourists would lead the
\nturnaround in Bali's tourism sector.<\/p>\n
Much depends on a speedy recovery of Bali, as the island makes
\nup for about one third of Indonesia's total tourism revenue.<\/p>\n
Last year, tourism in Bali raised some US$1.4 billion in
\nforeign exchange income, or more than 25 percent of the
\nnationwide total of $5.4 billion.<\/p>\n
Also, foreign tourists eye Bali as their main destination when
\ncoming to Indonesia, meaning they might not come at all if they
\ndid not feel secure about staying on the island.<\/p>\n
The government predicts foreign arrivals to drop to their
\nlowest figure in six years, at about 4.3 million visitors, from
\nthe previous estimated 5.4 million this year.<\/p>\n
Tourism accounts for 80 percent of Bali's total income and
\nprovides employment to some 40 percent of its population.<\/p>\n
Official data shows that as of last year, 1,400 hotels and
\nalmost 750 restaurants were on Bali.<\/p>\n
The government has also launched a recovery program for Bali,
\nfocusing on helping Balinese to cope with the slump in the
\ntourism sector.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-bets-on-recovery-as-peak-season-draws-close-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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