Malaysians discover shopping haven in Bali

Malaysians discover shopping haven in Bali

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Kuta

Do not forget your closest neighbors, especially when you get
through a difficult time, a top diplomat said.

YBhg. Dato' Zaenal Abidin Mahamad Zain, Malaysian Ambassador
to Indonesia said during the opening of the Honorary Consulate
office here in Kuta, Bali recently, marking the closer
relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia.

"This event will bring about a significant milestone in the
countries' tourism industries with the heavier flows of Malaysian
visitors and students coming to Bali," he said.

He met the press just a few days after the killing of
terrorist suspect and Malaysian citizen Azahari bin Husin,
believed to be the one of the masterminds of several bomb
attacks, including Kuta, Jimbaran and other places in Indonesia.

"This (terrorism) will not prevent Malaysians from coming to
Bali, both for leisure and shopping as well as for educative
purposes," the envoy said.

Presently, around 73 Malaysian students are registered at the
University of Udayana in Denpasar and other higher institutions.

"The number of students and tourists will likely grow fast in
the coming years and it is important for us to open this
consulate office to arrange any necessary documents and to
monitor their activities," said the ambassador.

The Malaysian government will also open other consular offices
in Makassar, South Sulawesi in addition to the one in Medan and
the embassy in Jakarta.

With Bali currently trapped in a desperate situation following
the Oct. 1, 2005 bomb blast, which drastically cut the number of
tourist arrivals -- by half, probably more -- the arrival of our
neighbors could bring new hope for local tourist-related
businesses.

"We encourage Malaysians to travel to Bali and other places in
Indonesia like Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta," explained Roslan
Othman, director of the Jakarta-based Malaysian Tourism Promotion
Board.

Roslan added that most Malaysians were not afraid of going to
Bali despite the bombing tragedy, as they did not feel they could
be targeted. "They don't usually go to nightclubs or other
crowded places. Many of them prefer to go shopping for
handicrafts, textiles, furniture, fashion accessories," he
explained.

"Anything with Balinese touches from handicrafts, accessories
to interior and architectural elements are now in vogue among
Malaysians," he added.

Malaysians, he noted, also flooded factory outlets, wholesale
textile and fashion markets in Bandung and Jakarta.

Through August 2005, the number of Malaysians visiting Bali
reached 47,458 persons, the seventh most after Japan, Australia,
Taiwan, Korea, Britain and Germany.

An aggressive campaign by Malaysian-based AirAsia with its
budget airfares has succeeded in luring more people to the
island. Soon after the Oct. 1 bombing, the airline company
launched its "To Bali with Love" campaign providing 12,000 free
tickets for the Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar flights.

Dato' Tony Fernandes, Air Asia's Group CEO said, "Malaysians
and Indonesians have come together to show the world that we will
not let terrorism cripple Bali and our unique spirit of ASEAN."

Dato' Kalimullah Hassan, Group editor-in-Chief of the NSTP
Group, representing the Malaysian Press said," Tourism is vital
for Bali's economy.

"Malaysians can show their support for the people of Bali by
not turning their backs on the island, Hassan said while adding
that by continuing their visits to the island, they send the
message that they will not give in to terror.

Garuda Indonesia and Malaysian Airlines have also established
joint programs, including code share and seat arrangement
cooperation, especially after Garuda Indonesia stopped flying to
European destinations.

This effort was aimed at maintaining Garuda Indonesia's market
in Europe. Under the code share arrangement, Garuda can sell a
number of seats of Malaysian Airlines on Kuala Lumpur-London
route and the Kuala Lumpur-Frankfurt route.

On the other hand, Malaysian Airlines is able to sell seats
for Garuda's Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar route.

Feisol Hasyim, who was appointed Honorary Consul of Malaysia
in Bali, commented that it was high time for Bali to start
focusing on the regional market.

The Asian market has great potential because some countries
are now emerging economically like Thailand, Malaysia and, of
course, Singapore," said Feisol, who is also owner of Alam Kul
Kul Resort and chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian
Tourism Society.

What is more important, he added, was that this market was not
as vulnerable to the fast-changing world situation. "Europe has
always been our strong market with a lot of spending and longer
lengths of stay, but it is very susceptible to any current
political, social or natural upheaval," he said.

The consulate office will also help Balinese businesspeople
penetrate the Malaysian market.

Hera, a hotel and boutique owner, said she already exports
exquisite Kebaya (traditional long-sleeve embroidery blouses) and
Muslim dresses to meet the increasing demand of Malaysian women
for Indonesian garments and textiles.

A number of Balinese textile, garment and handicraft producers
will also take part in the upcoming Bali Expo held in Kuala
Lumpur in the middle of January 2006.