Stop terrorism, please!<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Stop terrorism. That is the call of most people, including
\nhoteliers, as they are all fed up with terrorist attacks that
\nbring pain and misery to many.<\/p>\n
After the prolonged crisis that struck Indonesia in 1997, the
\ncountry again received another blow with the Bali bombings in
\n2002. The tragedy that killed 202 people, mostly foreign
\ntourists, shocked the whole world and almost paralyzed the
\ntourist industry.<\/p>\n
Hotels in Bali, Jakarta as well as other areas of the country
\nexperienced a sharp drop in occupancy rates. Travelers canceled
\ntheir trips, hotel rooms were empty and other facilities like
\nrestaurants, cafes and meeting rooms were also vacant.<\/p>\n
Then SARS further damaged the industry, even though not as
\nbadly as was experienced by Singapore, Hong Kong and China.<\/p>\n
And then, slowly but surely, the economic wheel in the country
\nbegan to turn, thanks to the hard work of all. It may not
\nbusiness as usual, but the situation is much better. Tourists and
\nbusiness travelers from around the world have recently began to
\nreturn to Jakarta, and hotels have started to enjoy robust
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n
Things, however, do not always run as expected. Last year, the
\ncity was rocked by a bombing at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta,
\nwhich claimed 12 lives. And just last month 10 people were killed
\nin a bomb blast in front of the Australian Embassy here. The
\neffects of the two explosions in Jakarta were not as tremendous
\nas the Bali bombing. For a moment, the hotel business was
\nshocked, then the vigorous business quickly recovered.<\/p>\n
The years from 2001 to 2003 indeed were a nightmare for
\nhoteliers, but this year the hotel industry has bounced back.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Hilton International Hotel, JW Marriott Jakarta,
\nGran Melia, Gran Mahakam, Sari Pan Pacific, Shangri-La Jakarta,
\nHotel Borobudur Jakarta and other star-rated hotels in the
\ncapital are currently enjoying positive developments, thanks to
\nthe improving political and economic situation in the country.
\nAnd there is hope for a better future like what they experienced
\nbefore 1997, especially if the issue of security is addressed
\nproperly.<\/p>\n
\"Stop terrorism and that will increase tourism, as simple as
\nthat,\" the general manager of the Hotel Sari Pan Pacific, Christo
\nDiamandopoulos, said.<\/p>\n
Emeraldo Parengkuan, director of public relations and
\ncommunications at the Jakarta Hilton International Hotel, gave a
\nsimilar comment, recalling the depressing impact of bomb attacks
\nthat resulted in the issuance of travel bans from several
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
\"After the Bali bombings, it took two years for the industry
\nto recover and the number of travelers had dropped by more than
\n50 percent. As for the bombings in Jakarta, it made the occupancy
\nrate decrease by 5 percent for about two weeks,\" he said, adding
\nthat the hotel was doing quite well this year.<\/p>\n
Mellanie Solagratia from the JW Marriott added that the impact
\nof the bomb attacks in Jakarta did not last long because people,
\nboth locals and foreigners, had become more mature in facing such
\nincidents.<\/p>\n
Unlike many hotels in Bali, which target tourists, the guests
\nof five-star hotels in Jakarta are mainly business travelers,
\nboth locals and foreigners. The main target of the Sari Pan
\nPacific, Hotel Borobudur and Gran Mahakam, for example, is the
\ndomestic market.<\/p>\n
\"Our primary market is business travelers mostly from the
\nlocal\/domestic market, followed by the Asian market,\" Sylvain
\nJulien, general manager of the Hotel Gran Mahakam, said.<\/p>\n
He said the hotel, which has enjoyed an above 73 percent
\noccupancy rate each month from June until September this year,
\nwas focusing on the domestic market because it still had more
\npotential compared to the foreign market, especially the European
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
But many other business hotels have more foreign guests,
\nmostly executives of multinational companies from other Asian
\ncountries. And the hoteliers believe that they can still maintain
\nthe target considering the improving conditions in the country.<\/p>\n
\"Our foreign guests keep coming because Gran Melia Jakarta is
\na five-star hotel targeting business travelers from corporate
\ncompanies who are also loyal guests. For many years, they have
\nstayed at our hotel during their visits to Jakarta,\" said Hana
\nHoed, the hotel's public relations manager, adding that many of
\nthe guests were foreigners from Southeast Asian countries.<\/p>\n
Ratna Sjamsiar Idris, director of communications of Shangri-La
\nJakarta, also expressed optimism that foreigners, as well as
\nIndonesians, would stay in the hotel, which has an occupancy rate
\nof between 40 percent and 60 percent.<\/p>\n
\"With our reputation as a member of the group of great hotels
\nwith a strong Asian culture, Shangri-La Hotels & Resort is the
\nchoice for foreign guests who travel to Indonesia. And there has
\neven been a significant increase in the number of expatriate
\nguests who have long lived in Asia and know Asia,\" she said.<\/p>\n
JW Marriott, too, does not have any plans to change its target
\nbecause it is a business hotel with guests from various countries
\nwho come to Jakarta to have business meetings with their local
\npartners. Local guests, who comprise about 20 percent, usually
\nspend the night on the weekend and use the hotel's facilities for
\nnon-business purposes like weddings, dining or relaxing.<\/p>\n
The encouraging developments in the hotel industry and the
\ntight competition among the hotels has enhanced their spirit to
\nwork even harder. With professional staffs, they have improved
\ntheir service and have come up with various strategies to attract
\nguests: offering interesting room rates and packages, food
\npromotions and high-tech facilities, maintaining good relations
\nwith other parties, improving the brand image and implementing
\ntight security measures.<\/p>\n
As hotels in general are experiencing significant growth this
\nyear, it seems the hotel industry is now returning to the good
\ntimes before the crisis hit in late 1997.<\/p>\n
With hard work, coupled with the promises of the new
\ngovernment to make every effort to improve the economy, hoteliers
\nhave every reason to hope for a bright future.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stop-terrorism-please-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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