Wither Indonesian tourism?
\nSaving Indonesia's tourist industry<\/p>\n
By Imam Syafii<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With the appointment of Indonesia's new
\npresident and vice president, followed by the installment of the
\nGotong Royong Cabinet, the country's tourist industry hopes the
\nnew government will bring political stability and economic
\ngrowth.<\/p>\n
It is also time to call for synergy among the authorities and
\ntourist-related associations to promote Indonesia's name and
\nmission to a wider audience, instead of performing individual
\npromotional stints, which only highlight particular regions.<\/p>\n
A good example is the recent setup of the Asian Hotels
\nAlliance (AHA), which includes Dusit Hotels and Resorts
\n(Thailand), Landis Hotels and Resorts (Taiwan), Marcopolo Hotel
\nGroup (Hong Kong), Meritus Hotels and Resorts (Singapore) and New
\nOtani Hotels (Japan). AHA aims at combining the marketing
\nstrengths of each member hotel. A similar concept was established
\nearlier in Bali, featuring cooperation, in terms of promotion and
\ninformation exchange, among the hotels in the Tuban area.<\/p>\n
Signs of a stronger mission from the tourist industry is also
\nreflected by the joining of forces among the Indonesia Tourism
\nCommunity and Jakarta Promotion under the coordination of the
\nstate minister of culture and tourism. This cooperation aims at
\ncreating something unique yet exquisite, given the country's rich
\nculture heritage.<\/p>\n
Further action to be given serious consideration is the
\ndevelopment of an annual sales and promotion action plan, which
\ncan be broken down into monthly targets. The media must be
\ninvolved to balance views on the political and security
\nsituation, so that not only Bali is promoted but also the whole
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Travel agents play an important role in creating the awareness
\nof Indonesia as a popular destination as they have direct contact
\nwith international customers. They can invite their international
\ntravel partners here; remember, seeing is believing.<\/p>\n
Another potential market segment, which still needs serious
\nexploration is the Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Exhibition
\n(MICE) Industry. It must be stressed in promotions that
\ninternational conferences or meetings in Indonesia would give
\nparticipants an opportunity to experience a unique atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Before the monetary crisis hit the country in 1997, the number
\nof MICE events held in Indonesia were on average 1,116 events per
\nyear and projected events for 2002-2003 will most likely be the
\nsame.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, achieving this target needs four requisites: A
\nsense of urgency to win back the lost market segment, a sense of
\ncreating unique activities, a high sense of business and a sense
\nof confidence -- in the sense of being proud of the products we
\noffer.<\/p>\n
These requisites are crucial, given that the hotel rooms in
\nIndonesia, now about 252,000, only have a 40 percent occupancy
\nrate per year, or about 151,200 empty rooms per year. If there is
\non average one room to 1.5 employees, there will a potential for
\n226,800 new recruits per year in the hotel industry alone, not to
\nmention the employment opportunities in other tourist-related
\nindustries.<\/p>\n
The writer is director of sales and promotion at Dusit Mangga
\nDua Jakarta and chief of public relations for the Indonesian
\nExhibition Companies Association.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wither-indonesian-tourism-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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