Malaysians discover shopping haven in Bali<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Kuta<\/p>\n
Do not forget your closest neighbors, especially when you get
\nthrough a difficult time, a top diplomat said.<\/p>\n
YBhg. Dato' Zaenal Abidin Mahamad Zain, Malaysian Ambassador
\nto Indonesia said during the opening of the Honorary Consulate
\noffice here in Kuta, Bali recently, marking the closer
\nrelationship between Indonesia and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
"This event will bring about a significant milestone in the
\ncountries' tourism industries with the heavier flows of Malaysian
\nvisitors and students coming to Bali," he said.<\/p>\n
He met the press just a few days after the killing of
\nterrorist suspect and Malaysian citizen Azahari bin Husin,
\nbelieved to be the one of the masterminds of several bomb
\nattacks, including Kuta, Jimbaran and other places in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"This (terrorism) will not prevent Malaysians from coming to
\nBali, both for leisure and shopping as well as for educative
\npurposes," the envoy said.<\/p>\n
Presently, around 73 Malaysian students are registered at the
\nUniversity of Udayana in Denpasar and other higher institutions.<\/p>\n
"The number of students and tourists will likely grow fast in
\nthe coming years and it is important for us to open this
\nconsulate office to arrange any necessary documents and to
\nmonitor their activities," said the ambassador.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian government will also open other consular offices
\nin Makassar, South Sulawesi in addition to the one in Medan and
\nthe embassy in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
With Bali currently trapped in a desperate situation following
\nthe Oct. 1, 2005 bomb blast, which drastically cut the number of
\ntourist arrivals -- by half, probably more -- the arrival of our
\nneighbors could bring new hope for local tourist-related
\nbusinesses.<\/p>\n
"We encourage Malaysians to travel to Bali and other places in
\nIndonesia like Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta," explained Roslan
\nOthman, director of the Jakarta-based Malaysian Tourism Promotion
\nBoard.<\/p>\n
Roslan added that most Malaysians were not afraid of going to
\nBali despite the bombing tragedy, as they did not feel they could
\nbe targeted. "They don't usually go to nightclubs or other
\ncrowded places. Many of them prefer to go shopping for
\nhandicrafts, textiles, furniture, fashion accessories," he
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
"Anything with Balinese touches from handicrafts, accessories
\nto interior and architectural elements are now in vogue among
\nMalaysians," he added.<\/p>\n
Malaysians, he noted, also flooded factory outlets, wholesale
\ntextile and fashion markets in Bandung and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Through August 2005, the number of Malaysians visiting Bali
\nreached 47,458 persons, the seventh most after Japan, Australia,
\nTaiwan, Korea, Britain and Germany.<\/p>\n
An aggressive campaign by Malaysian-based AirAsia with its
\nbudget airfares has succeeded in luring more people to the
\nisland. Soon after the Oct. 1 bombing, the airline company
\nlaunched its "To Bali with Love" campaign providing 12,000 free
\ntickets for the Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar flights.<\/p>\n
Dato' Tony Fernandes, Air Asia's Group CEO said, "Malaysians
\nand Indonesians have come together to show the world that we will
\nnot let terrorism cripple Bali and our unique spirit of ASEAN."<\/p>\n
Dato' Kalimullah Hassan, Group editor-in-Chief of the NSTP
\nGroup, representing the Malaysian Press said," Tourism is vital
\nfor Bali's economy.<\/p>\n
"Malaysians can show their support for the people of Bali by
\nnot turning their backs on the island, Hassan said while adding
\nthat by continuing their visits to the island, they send the
\nmessage that they will not give in to terror.<\/p>\n
Garuda Indonesia and Malaysian Airlines have also established
\njoint programs, including code share and seat arrangement
\ncooperation, especially after Garuda Indonesia stopped flying to
\nEuropean destinations.<\/p>\n
This effort was aimed at maintaining Garuda Indonesia's market
\nin Europe. Under the code share arrangement, Garuda can sell a
\nnumber of seats of Malaysian Airlines on Kuala Lumpur-London
\nroute and the Kuala Lumpur-Frankfurt route.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Malaysian Airlines is able to sell seats
\nfor Garuda's Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar route.<\/p>\n
Feisol Hasyim, who was appointed Honorary Consul of Malaysia
\nin Bali, commented that it was high time for Bali to start
\nfocusing on the regional market.<\/p>\n
The Asian market has great potential because some countries
\nare now emerging economically like Thailand, Malaysia and, of
\ncourse, Singapore," said Feisol, who is also owner of Alam Kul
\nKul Resort and chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian
\nTourism Society.<\/p>\n
What is more important, he added, was that this market was not
\nas vulnerable to the fast-changing world situation. "Europe has
\nalways been our strong market with a lot of spending and longer
\nlengths of stay, but it is very susceptible to any current
\npolitical, social or natural upheaval," he said.<\/p>\n
The consulate office will also help Balinese businesspeople
\npenetrate the Malaysian market.<\/p>\n
Hera, a hotel and boutique owner, said she already exports
\nexquisite Kebaya (traditional long-sleeve embroidery blouses) and
\nMuslim dresses to meet the increasing demand of Malaysian women
\nfor Indonesian garments and textiles.<\/p>\n
A number of Balinese textile, garment and handicraft producers
\nwill also take part in the upcoming Bali Expo held in Kuala
\nLumpur in the middle of January 2006.<\/p>",
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