SARS deals second blow to Bali tourism<\/p>\n
Gde Anugrah Arka, Reuters, Bali<\/p>\n
Made Suarsa's minibus is almost empty these days as he winds
\nthrough the narrow streets of Denpasar, capital of one of the
\nworld's best-known travel destinations, Bali.<\/p>\n
The minibus often used to be packed with tourists from among
\nthe Australian surfers, Japanese honeymooners and international
\ncelebrities who flocked to the island of long, white sand
\nbeaches, towering volcanoes, and lush vegetation.<\/p>\n
That was before last October's nightclub bombings on Kuta
\nBeach -- blamed on Muslim militants -- that killed 202 people,
\nmostly foreigners, and the more recent impact on regional travel
\nfrom the deadly SARS virus.<\/p>\n
Made, a Balinese Hindu in his 50's and already a grandfather
\nseveral times over, tries to be philosophical about the drop in
\nhis business and that of others reliant on the tourist trade.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe we have to look at our karma, look at things that have
\ngone wrong,\" he says.<\/p>\n
But others in Bali, where 70 percent of the population
\ndirectly or indirectly depends on tourism for their survival, are
\nmore pragmatic about ways to get visitors and their money back to
\n\"Paradise Island\".<\/p>\n
Before the bomb blasts, tourism was bringing Indonesia some $5
\nbillion a year, with Bali accounting for about 35 percent of the
\ntotal.<\/p>\n
Don Birch, who heads leading Asian travel information and
\nreservation services provider Abacus International, said Bali was
\nbeginning to recover after the bombings through low-cost packages
\nand promotional campaigns to boost its image.<\/p>\n
Hotels and airlines have made a concerted effort to provide
\ntravelers with \"cost-effective packages\" designed to jump start
\nBali's tourism business, he told a regional tourism meeting in
\nBali this week.<\/p>\n
\"Once the tourism industry partners in Bali showed the world
\nthat safety and security precautions were in place and government
\nadvisories were removed, travelers returned,\" Birch said.
\nSARS SCARE<\/p>\n
In the last few weeks, however, Bali has had to deal with a
\nnew problem, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).<\/p>\n
SARS, which has been spread around the world by travelers, has
\ninfected at least 4,000 people and killed more than 230 people in
\n25 countries in the last six weeks, after first showing up in
\nsouthern China in November.<\/p>\n
While Indonesia has yet to confirm any cases, important
\nsources of tourism for the sprawling archipelago such as
\nSingapore and Hong Kong have been hit hard, and many Westerners
\nare simply avoiding Asian travel altogether.<\/p>\n
\"SARS is the biggest problem, more than anything else now,\"
\nsaid Julita Chandra, marketing communications manager at five
\nstar Hotel Nusa Dua Beach. \"If it is not resolved the outlook for
\nhotels here will continue to be gloomy.\"<\/p>\n
Before SARS emerged, Bali tourist arrival growth was
\naccelerating from the lows hit just after the bombings in late
\nOctober and early November, when occupancy percentages at many
\nhotels were measured in single digits.<\/p>\n
Arrivals in February, for example, were down around 28 percent
\nfrom the same month a year earlier, compared to a 56 percent
\nyear-on-year drop in November. Last year the island recorded 1.35
\nmillion tourist arrivals.<\/p>\n
At this week's tourism conference, industry leaders said they
\nwould also try to fight the impact of terrorism and SARS by being
\nhonest about problems while publicizing progress in dealing with
\nissues such as security and disease.<\/p>\n
Some pin their hopes on \"Baliphiles\", those so in love with
\nthe island they return year after year, and domestic tourists,
\nfor whom SARS and possible anti-Western violence are not issues
\nand the bargain prices of recent months are hard to resist.<\/p>\n
Australian Vern Cork is one of the Baliphiles. A retired
\nteacher who has visited Bali annually for more than 20 years, he
\nlikes spending months every year in picturesque Ubud, with its
\nhills, trees and running streams.<\/p>\n
He says his time in Ubud, considered the island's cultural
\ncapital and center for traditional artists, has been an
\nenlightening experience so profound it helped him recover from a
\nParkinson's-like disease.<\/p>\n
\"The culture is so rich. It is peaceful here. And despite all
\nthe bad news, I am getting better here in Bali,\" Cork says.
\nVisitors willing to bargain hard can get sea-front rooms in some
\nfive-star hotels for well under $100 a day.<\/p>\n
Car rentals are down more than 25 percent from a year ago, and
\nmany restaurants offer 50 percent off menu prices.<\/p>\n
For roadside food seller Made Sujana, such steps cannot bring
\nrecovery soon enough. \"I earn 20,000 rupiah ($2.20) a day, a
\nthird of what I got before the bombings,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"I have two kids at school and I haven't paid my rent for two
\nmonths. I read it might take six months more to recover, by which
\ntime my landlord may have already kicked us out.\"<\/p>",
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