Blast sends Bali into economic woe<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali<\/p>\n
Life will never be the same again for many Balinese people
\nfollowing the tragic bomb explosion on the island's most
\nglittering nightlife strip along Jl. Legian in Kuta.<\/p>\n
Suzy, a woman working in an art shop located just a few meters
\nfrom where Paddy's and the Sari Club once stood, complained that
\nher shop would be closed indefinitely while the investigation was
\nunderway.<\/p>\n
"I don't know what to do anymore. I think I'll have to go back
\nto my hometown of Malang (East Java)," she said.<\/p>\n
Djodi, a taxi driver, shared her feelings. "No more guests, no
\nmore rice on the table."<\/p>\n
Ni Wayan Tjandri, the owner of a handicrafts shop in Kuta,
\nsaid she was encouraged to see some foreign visitors still coming
\nin and buying one or two items from her shop.<\/p>\n
"I hope not everyone leaves Bali. If that happens, it would be
\na disaster for our business. At the least, we hope that local
\ntourists will continue to visit. We really depend on both local
\nand foreign tourists," she explained.<\/p>\n
The bombing, which killed more than 180 people, has scared
\naway not only foreign tourists but also locals.<\/p>\n
Famous beaches like Kuta and Seminyak, which are normally
\npacked with tourists, are now deserted. So are other tourist
\ndestinations like Tanah Lot in Tabanan and the Bedugul highland
\nresort.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, despite the horror of the bombing, some Western
\nand Asian tourists, especially the Japanese, have braved and
\ndefied travel warnings from their governments and continued to
\nvisit Bali.<\/p>\n
Some of them are to be seen around the bomb site and other
\nareas in Bali.<\/p>\n
These visitors have helped heal the wounds of the Balinese
\npeople and their economy. This has prompted the chairman of the
\nBali chapter of the Indonesian Travel Agents' Association
\n(ASITA), I Gusti Bagus Yudhara, to especially thank them for
\ntheir courage.<\/p>\n
"They can share their experiences with their families and
\nfriends in their home countries and explain that Bali is not as
\nscary as people think," Yudhara explained.<\/p>\n
He said the bombing had badly affected the tourism industry.
\nTherefore, any visits by foreign or local tourists would be very
\nwelcome indeed.<\/p>\n
Following the bombing, ASITA surveyed the 10 largest travel
\nagencies in Bali -- out of some 300 travel agencies operating on
\nthe island.<\/p>\n
The survey revealed that all 10 travel agents had suffered
\ncancellations of up to 50 percent of their bookings.<\/p>\n
"You can imagine the impact of these cancellations on Bali's
\ntourism industry," Yudhara said.<\/p>\n
The Bali Tourism Office also revealed a similar gloomy
\npicture. The office said that the hotel occupancy rate in Bali
\nhad dropped drastically from 70 percent on Oct. 12 (the date of
\nbombing), to only 38 percent on Oct. 18.<\/p>\n
More than 29,000 foreign tourists had left Bali since the Kuta
\ntragedy, whereas only 11,759 visitors had arrived on the island
\nsince then.<\/p>\n
To anticipate the worsening situation, the Bali Tourism
\nOffice, together with private tourism companies, including
\nairlines, plan to launch special tourism packages for both
\ndomestic and foreign visitors.<\/p>\n
Domestic airlines, including national flag carrier Garuda
\nIndonesia and its subsidiary Merpati Airlines are to offer
\nspecial discounts for visitors coming to Bali for the Muslim
\nholiday of Idul Fitri, Christmas and the New Year.<\/p>\n
I Putu Agus Antara, chairman of the Bali Tourism Board,
\nconfirmed that the province's tourist industry would work
\nextremely hard to promote Bali on both the domestic and overseas
\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
"But, for the time being it would be wiser to focus first on
\nthe domestic market," he said.<\/p>\n
The bombing will not only affect tourism but also other
\nsectors in Bali, such as real estate.<\/p>\n
The deputy chairman of Bali's Real Estate Association, W.
\nSutama, predicted that sales of office buildings, shops,
\nresidential homes and villas in Bali would drop significantly.<\/p>\n
"Most potential foreign buyers have canceled their purchases
\nof property here indefinitely ... many of them have left Bali,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He was not sure when Bali's economy would return to normal.<\/p>\n
Learning from past experience gained from the rioting in Bali
\nin 1999, it will take more than a year to restore Bali's social
\nand business life to normal, and for the tourism industry to
\nrecover.<\/p>\n
Bali, however, should not feel neglected. After all, the
\ngovernment and the international community have rapidly come to
\nthe assistance of the beautiful island.<\/p>\n
The government has instructed all state companies, as well as
\nencouraged private companies, to hold their corporate functions
\nin Bali and send their employees there to help revive the
\nisland's tourist industry.<\/p>\n
In addition, the central government has also promised to pour
\nin around Rp 500 billion (US$54 million) for the reconstruction
\nof the devastated Jl. Legian area and the provision of supporting
\ninfrastructure.<\/p>\n
In addition, the World Bank (WB) has committed itself to
\nproviding US$30 million to help kickstart the province's social
\nand economic revival.<\/p>\n
As assistance starts to pour in, now is the right time for the
\nBali administration to prove to the world that it is trustworthy,
\ncapable and responsible in managing the financial assistance it
\nreceives.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/blast-sends-bali-into-economic-woe-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}