Bali tourism in good mood over Lebaran

The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Yogyakarta

The upcoming Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri, also known as Lebaran, is bringing a much-needed good mood to Bali's tourism industry, which suffered a setback in the aftermath of recent terrorist attacks.

The holiday is expected to improve the occupancy rates at the island's hotels and to bring a surge in domestic tourists that will jump-start the economic machine of the resort island.

"We have already recorded a significant increase in room bookings for the Lebaran period, particularly on Nov. 1 to Nov. 5," Hard Rock Hotel's assistant manager for marketing and communication Dewi Karmawan said on Tuesday.

The four-star, 418-room Hard Rock Hotel, which has established itself as one of the island's most recognized tourism icons, lies just a hundred meters north of the Kuta Square Arcade, the site of the recent bombings.

"Based on those bookings, we expect that the occupancy rate during that period will be around 80 percent, probably higher," she said enthusiastically.

It will be a major increase on the 30 percent occupancy rate recorded on that Tuesday. However, it will still fall short of the hotel's occupancy rate prior to the bombings, which ranged from 80 percent on weekdays to 100 percent on weekends.

Separately, Happy Subianto, public relations manager at the five-star, 144-room Sofitel said the hotel would book a 85 percent occupancy rate during the Lebaran period, a significant improvement on the 50 percent to 60 percent it currently enjoyed.

"The increase is a good sign for the island's tourism and it strengthens our belief that this island will soon regain its position as one of the world's major players in tourism," she added.

Sofitel is located in Seminyak, a booming tourist village north of Kuta. Its clientele mainly come from Australia and Europe.

Moreover, Karmawan disclosed that 60 percent of the total increase in reservations were made by domestic, non-Muslim families from Surabaya, Jakarta and Bandung.

"Their domestic servants will not be around during Lebaran so these non-Muslim families travel to Bali to avoid domestic chores and to enjoy a holiday at the same time," she said.

The hotel industry is more than ready to welcome these tourists, devising attractive rupiah-nominated holiday packages to lure them into their otherwise vacant rooms.

Hard Rock Hotel, which has a minimum published rate of US$190 per room per night, has introduced a rupiah package of Rp 980,000 per room per night, including breakfast and dinner for two adults and two children under twelve.

Similarly, the five-star, 390-room Bali Hyatt, renowned for its beautiful gardens and tranquil atmosphere, has launched a package of Rp 688,000 per room per night before tax.

The hotel's public relations officer Kadek Budiarta revealed that its Lebaran occupancy rate was expected to be around 70 percent, a decent increase from the current 60 percent.

"Well, our establishment is located in Sanur. Domestic tourists generally prefer Kuta to Sanur, that's why our increase will be smaller that Kuta's," he said.

But in the tourist city Yogyakarta, the tourism mood is somber, with hotel occupancy rates down to between 30 and 40 percent seven days ahead of Idul Fitri compared same period last year.

As of Tuesday, the tourist city's hotel occupancy rate was only around 40 percent, down from the 70 percent and 80 percent last year.

Hyatt Regency Hotel's public relations officer, Satrio Sukmowidodo, disclosed that seven days ahead of Idul Fitri, the 269-room hotel was only 45 percent full. Three days before Idul Fitri, the occupancy rate is expected to rise to 80 percent, reaching 100 percent on the actual day.

"This year's situation is much different compared to last year where the occupancy rates reached 80 percent seven days before and after the Idul Fitri," Satrio said.

He blamed the situation on several factors, including the slow economy due to high living costs following the government's move to raise fuel prices.

"There are many reasons for the low occupancy rate but mostly it is caused by fuel price increases," Satrio said.

A similar situation was also experienced by the Sheraton Mustika Ratu Hotel, where its public relations officer, Sisa Primashinta, blamed lower occupancy rate on fuel price increases and the recent Bali bombings.

"Many bookings were canceled following the Bali bombings," Sisa said.

She added that the hotel's occupancy rate on Tuesday stood at 40 percent but expected it to rise to 80 percent three days before and after Idul Fitri. "Last year, the occupancy rate seven days before and after the Idul Fitri was 80 percent," Sisa said.

Meanwhile, chairman of Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association in Yogyakarta, Steff B. Indarto, blamed lower occupancy rates on higher living costs following fuel price increase.

Last year, he said, one could visit Yogyakarta with only Rp 200,000 (US$20) cash but now it takes over Rp 500,000 to do so.

"People will think twice about staying in Yogyakarta longer due to high living costs," Steff said on Tuesday.

He said that last year, from 400 hotels with around 10,000 rooms in the city, occupancy rate reached 70 to 90 percent seven days before and after the Idul Fitri, but now the average is only about 40 to 50 percent. "The occupancy rate will only climb from Nov. 2 to Nov. 5," he said.