Bali toursim fells the sting of anti-U.S. sentiment

Bali toursim fells the sting of anti-U.S. sentiment

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The September 11 terrorist attack in the United States has
proven once again how interconnected the world has became. It has
brought anguish, rage, disbelief and a sense of insecurity not
only to the people of America, but to nations all over the world.

The smoke that billowed out of New York's World Trade Center
(WTC) twin towers and the Pentagon has not only darkened U.S.
skies, but has also overshadowed the world's skies.

This ominous cloud has descended on the prime tourist island
of Bali. With a decrease in tourist arrivals, cancellations by
prospective vacationers and growing anti-U.S. sentiment in the
country, the Balinese have started to assess the impact of this
on the backbone of the island's economy; the tourism industry.

"To date, our members have received cancellations from at
least 6,000 clients, mostly from the U.S., Japan, Australia and
Europe," the chairman of Bali's Association of Indonesian Travel
Agents (ASITA) IGB Yudhara said.

Separately, secretary-general of Bali Tourism Board (BTB)
Adnyana Sudibya disclosed that in September the number of tourist
arrivals, which reached 134,415 people, had decreased by 7.4
percent compared to the previous month, and decreased 4 percent
compared to the previous year.

"We lost around 5,000 tourists in September. But we are
concerned the situation could fast deteriorate once an open war
between Allied forces and the Taliban erupts," he said.

In the first ten days of October the number of tourist
arrivals fell further with a 13 percent decrease. In just ten
days, Bali lost another 5,000 tourists.

Sudibya argued the losses suffered now, would be recovered in
December.

"In December we will gain a lot from domestic tourists since
there will be three big holidays; Idul Fitri, Christmas, and New
Year. So overall Bali's tourism industry will still profit this
year," he assured.

Yet, that assurance was not enough for many people.

With chairman of Bali's Hotel and Restaurant Association
(PHRI) I Gede Wiratha announcing that Bali had suffered a 60
percent decrease in tourist arrivals and television stations
rerunning footage of the collapse of the WTC and the U.S-led air
raid on Afghanistan, many people still believed that Bali would
soon experience a rerun of the Gulf War experience, when most of
Bali's 30,000 hotel rooms were left vacant.

Adnyana Sudibya lamented the way some of Bali's key leaders in
the tourism industry had responded to the crisis, urging them to
restrain from making negative comments.

"Statements by these tourism figures will send the market into
panic, resulting in a price war among our own hotels and tour
operators. This will give our competitors a good chance to outrun
us," he said, referring to Thailand that is launching a massive
public relations campaign to underline its safety as a tourist
destination.

Instead, Sudibya urged the tourism industry to act fast in
conducting a recovery program. A top priority is market
repositioning through which Bali must intensify its marketing
efforts in Asia, instead of in Europe and the U.S.

"The European and American markets comprise only a 15 percent
share of the total market. Japan has around five million
potential vacationers each year. If we can attract some 100,000
more visitors from Japan we will be able to cover the loss from
the diminishing European and American market; not to mention
Korea," he said.

All of this needs constant and tireless effort and solid
support from the local bureaucrats.

Sudibya envisions the Governor of Bali Dewa Beratha holding
meetings with travel agents in Japan and Korea, to assure them
that Bali was and is, in the words of the former chairman of
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Jack Daniel, "safe and
different."

"That's the kind of support we need. The Japanese people are
very paternalistic. They need reassurance from high-ranking
government officials. I was informed that the Governor of Bali
has agreed to do that," Sudibya told.

Meanwhile, at the grass-roots level the Balinese have
expressed their intention to safeguard the tourism industry. Some
800 people organized by the Karangasem's Peoples Council (DPMK)
staged a peaceful antisweeping rally in Bali, pledging to
strongly oppose efforts by militant groups to harass foreigners
in Bali.

Numerous traditional community organizations have put their
pecalang (traditional guards) on high alert to anticipate any
disturbance to local tourist sites.