Balinese tourism and travel damaged, not dead

Balinese tourism and travel damaged, not dead

M.Ali
MBA student
Nottingham University
United Kingdom

News regarding the twin trades of tourism and travel has been
very bleak recently. Just over a year ago, the terrorist attacks
in the U.S. caused aftershocks throughout the world from which it
is slowly recovering. This year, the series of terrorist attacks
on Bali have caused a similar damaging effect and have delivered
among the worst damaging blows to tourism and travel.

It is clear that these events have severely wounded tourism in
Bali. The usual figure of one-and-a-half million annual visitors
to Bali have dropped dramatically as a result of the Oct. 12
bombings, and many of the island's businesses are struggling to
survive. Already, efforts are underway to revive interest in
traveling to Bali with "two-for-one packages" and even "you
decide how much you want to pay" ploys, to try and encourage
tourists to return.

So far, however, the signs have not been good.

Cathay Pacific and Qantas are two major airlines that have
already cut back on their flights to Bali, and hotel occupancy
rates across the island have plummeted to all-time lows with
single digit percentages of occupancy being recorded. Pictures of
Balinese souvenir vendors and boutiques offering massive
discounts on their wares and of deserted beaches have been
flashed around the world, effectively deepening negative feelings
about Bali.

These observations, of course, paint a very bleak picture for
the future prospects of the island, but they have to be placed
within the context of the wider scope of the tourism and travel
industry. It must also be realized that it is still very early in
the progress to recovery and revitalization of Bali's tourist
industry. A wider, long-term view is more useful.

Looking at the wider world of tourism and travel shows that
tour providers, travel agents and airlines all around the globe
have been suffering from a major slump over the last couple of
years. A case in point is United Airlines being declared
bankrupt.

Many other sectors of the tourism and travel industry have
been similarly affected and are being restructured accordingly.

A recent discussion with a regional representative of the
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) revealed the extent
of the problem for the British tourism and travel industry: it is
estimated that "at least ten to fifteen thousand British tour and
travel workers will have lost their jobs before the industry
begins to pick up again." This is a downturn that is being
experienced all over the world.

Egypt, for example, the primary tourist destination of the
Middle East, has suffered huge losses in tourist dollars since
Sept. 11. American and European travelers have largely been
avoiding that destination and indeed, many other Islamic nations
have fallen from favor as potential holiday destinations.

In contrast, this has created a climate of opportunity for
domestic tourist markets, as they run advertising campaigns that
promote the idea of "staying close to home, where it's safe".
Holiday destinations are now somewhat closer to home, and this
has also had a damaging effect on world tourism.

The World Tourism and Travel Agency has estimated that as many
as "ten million jobs have been lost in tourism worldwide." This
is another clear indicator of the magnitude and spread of the
problems for tourism and travel.

Gloom and doom seems to run deep and widespread, and in this
kind of climate it becomes essential to restructure, re-plan and
develop strategies that will help encourage the market to restore
its faith in, and consequently rechannel dollars to, places like
Bali. The random and indiscriminate nature of terrorist attacks
such as those that hit Bali can both undermine and, ironically,
improve confidence in Bali as a tourist destination.

Certainly, people will remain concerned about the dangers of
traveling, but we will also retain our need for a holiday and
recognize that the random and indiscriminate nature of terrorism
means that attacks may happen anywhere in the world. This, then,
amounts to a recognition that there are dangers wherever we may
go, but also that we cannot allow this to stop us from doing what
we want and need to do.

Representatives of the ABTA suggest that, "If we always
stopped to think and worry about what we are going to do, we
would never do anything or go anywhere. This will be true for
Bali too."

This is the reality that we should all face: The damage done
to Bali and its peaceful image has been great, but it has
certainly not killed Bali as a tourist destination.

Presently, it is necessary for those in Bali who make a living
from the island's tourism to take stock of the difficult times
and take into account that they will have to restructure and
streamline their activities. Already, many migrant workers from
other parts of Indonesia have been leaving Bali due to
the downturn. In the longer term, however, Bali will rebound and
return to its prominence as a tourist destination.

Immediately after the attacks on New York, many Europeans had
second thoughts about flying to New York, but now most fly there
without any fear. The same will be true for Bali, but it will
take time.

Bali, the "Island of the Gods", must have faith and patience
that tourism will return to revive the island's economy once
again.