Bali's image could get a boost from proper promotion

Bali's image could get a boost from proper promotion

Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali

Picture this year's Academy Award nominee Nicole Kidman strolling
hand in hand with actor Russel Crowe on the pristine white sand
of Kuta Beach in Bali.

The image of these two big names, both Australian stars,
walking along a Bali beach would certainly guarantee excellent
international publicity, which could help restore Bali's
shattered tourism industry in the aftermath of the Oct. 12
bombings.

In the past, top Australian model Elle MacPerson did extensive
promotion for Indonesia through her exquisite poses for Garuda
Indonesia advertising campaigns.

Australian artist Rebecca Gilling, who starred in the TV
series Return to Eden in the late 1980s, also mesmerized the
Indonesian public when she landed at Soekarno-Hatta airport in
Jakarta. Wide coverage by the Australian media of Gilling's visit
to Indonesia was good publicity for Indonesia in Australia.

During a recent meeting of Indonesia-Australia tourism leaders
in Sanur, John King, a tourism consultant from Gavin Anderson &
Company, expressed the view that Bali and Indonesia badly needed
extensive and effective promotion worldwide in an attempt to
regain their credibility as tourist destinations.

"The idea of inviting celebrities like Nicole Kidman and other
famous names to the island would turn the eyes of the
international media to Bali," King said.

Another participant brought up the name of Paul Hogan, star of
the Hollywood hit Crocodile Dundee. Hogan, who has helped several
environmental projects in Bali, is well-known to Indonesians,
Australians and the international media.

Likewise, Brig. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, chief investigator
into the Bali bombings, could be invited to Australia to give
firsthand explanations on the progress of the Bali bombing
investigation to the Australian public.

In the days after bombs blasted two bars in the famous Kuta
entertainment center, some 11 kilometers south of the Bali
provincial capital of Denpasar, thousands of holidaymakers, many
of them from Australia, scrambled to get a flight out of Bali.
Since then, Bali has been shunned by international tourists. Many
of them have canceled their trips to Bali and other parts of
Indonesia, mostly for security reasons.

Since Oct. 12, 2002, the island's tourism industry, including
hospitality businesses, airlines, transportation operators and
travel agencies, have been almost driven to the wall.

Travel warnings and advisories issued by foreign governments
including Australia, the United States, some European countries
and Japan, have decimated Bali's tourism industry, once the
island's economic mainstay.

It is not only local travel and tourism players in Bali and
Indonesia that have been badly affected by the bomb attacks,
Australian tourism businesses have also suffered quite seriously
as Bali was previously one of the favorite holiday destinations
for Australian vacationers.

Australia has always been one of Bali's most important tourism
markets, and accounted for approximately one in five visitors
prior to October 2002. Spending by visitors from Australia in
Bali amounted to approximately US$300 million a year. Australia
accounted for approximately 20 percent of Bali's visitor numbers
and was second behind Japan in terms of the largest source
market.

In 2001 alone, Bali generated some $1.4 billion in foreign
exchange earnings from the tourism sector, which represented a
quarter of Indonesia's total foreign exchange earnings from
tourism.

To revitalize the Bali market, a number of prominent figures
from Australia's tourism and travel industry gathered in the
Sanur resort to jointly discuss efforts with their Indonesian
counterparts on how to effectively improve the reputation of Bali
as a safe holiday destination for Australians in particular, and
other international visitors in general.

Around 14 travel industry firms from Australia and Indonesia
shared views during the four-day meeting last week. Among the
companies were Qantas Holidays, Qantas Airways, Bali-based Air
Paradise International, Harvey World Travel, Flight Center Ltd.,
New Horizons Holidays, San Michele Travel/Indonesian Travel
Center, Tourism Task Force, representative from Australian MICE
Industry, the Council of Australian Tour Operators, Pacific Asia
Travel Association and International Tourism Training Services.

A number of important figures from various Australian
governments and parliaments were also present at the bilateral
meeting. Senator Alan Ferguson from South Australia, Bruce Baird,
Federal Member for Cook, and the Federal Member for Curtin, Ms.
Julie Bishop, were among the key persons in attendance.

An executive of the Australian-Indonesia Business Council said
the meeting was very important but the involvement of the
Indonesian tourism industry should have been stronger given that
only a small number of Bali tourism figures took part.

Senator Alan Ferguson explained that it was still quite
difficult for the Australian government to lift the travel
advisory against Bali and Indonesia.

"We have to also accept that travel advisories will be around
for some time in today's international climate and that the
position of foreign governments must be respected," he said.

Nonetheless, the Australian government resolved to join in
international efforts to lessen the impact of travel advisories
on tourism and travel.

The Australian tourism leaders advised the Indonesian tourism
authorities to work hand-in-hand with judicial officials to
ensure that exposure regarding the perpetrators of the October
incidents is minimized as this was continuing to cause enormous
distress and ongoing negative publicity for Bali internationally.

Over the past four months, there has been massive local and
international media coverage on the progress of the Bali bombing
investigation, including in Australia. Australians made up more
than 80 out of 202 victims who died in the bombings.

"The pictures of the alleged bombing perpetrators grinning and
smiling really hurt the Australian public," said one participant.

Myra P. Gunawan, deputy for tourism affairs at the Indonesian
Cultural and Tourism Board, said she felt heartened that the
Australian tourism industry was paying serious attention to
Bali's plight. "I hope this will extend to other countries as
well," she said.

Indonesia, she said, had conducted various promotional
activities and government-to-government lobbying to bring
international visitors back to Bali and other places in
Indonesia.