PATA set to adopt strategies to tackle tourism crisis

PATA set to adopt strategies to tackle tourism crisis

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The high-profile meeting of the Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) in Bali is expected to come up with a set of
strategies and recommendations to help the tourism industry get
through the current crisis.

PATA President Peter de Jong said that he hoped that the
recommendations could become a roadmap for the region to get past
the gloomy situation in the industry caused by the Sept. 11 and
Oct. 12 terror attacks, the current war in Iraq and SARS (Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

"We are going to have various seminars and discussions. And
the best scenario is to find some sort of roadmap to get out from
the crisis and certainly with regard to the way we prepare
ourselves for a future crisis," de Jong told reporters in a media
briefing on Sunday at the Bali International Convention Center in
Nusa Dua.

The media briefing, held by PATA and the Indonesian Tourism
Development Board (BP-BUDPAR), was also attended by the latter's
chairman Setyanto P. Santoso, PATA chairman Bo W. Long, and Bali
Vice Governor I.G. Bagus Alit Putra.

"By Wednesday, we expect to have about 5 recommendations," De
Jong added.

De Jong said seminars on medical emergencies and crisis
management would be held to propose such recommendations.

The 52nd PATA Conference is due to be officially opened by
President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Monday. This is the third
time the PATA conference is being held in Indonesia and second
time in Bali.

Further, de Jong said that the conference would also issue the
PATA PROMISE which declares the international organization as the
leading agency for the preservation of cultural heritage sites in
the region.

While the conference is held amid the gloomy state of world
tourism, de Jong said tourism in the Pacific Asia would survive,
propelled by intra-regional traveling.

According to de Jong, 65 percent of the travelers in the Asia-
Pacific region were from the region.

"So, our dependence on long haul travel has diminished. Our
dependence on intra-regional travel, neighbors traveling within
the Asia-Pacific has gone up by leaps and bounds. That's what has
helped us get through the Sept. 11 and Oct. 12 problems," he
said.

Regarding the SARS epidemic, de Jong predicted that the
tourism industry would recover in three to six months, but the
long-term impact would be worse than the war in Iraq.

"Given the huge population in this region, including Indonesia
and its continued economic development -- which is strong, we
think in six months, we are all looking at a better and healthier
picture again," he predicted

"But the impact (of SARS) will not last for long. The epidemic
hurts the mind more than the body," he added.

De Jong said that with the current situation, tourism in the
region was unlikely to grow as much as it had in the previous two
years, when it recorded a 4.5 percent growth rate.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government expressed optimism that
the conference would help jumpstart the country so it could
reinvigorate the battered tourism industry particularly with
greater numbers of travelers.

Setyanto said that as of Sunday, the number of registered
participants was 972 from 42 countries.

"It is surprising that the participation increased
significantly. Two weeks ago, we only expected some 500-600
participants," Setyanto said.

He added that the government had provided tight security for
the conference and extra measures to prevent SARS.