Pay tourist to come here

Pay tourist to come here

Whilst there may be some merit in introducing a stricter visa
policy, one cannot help feel that now is not the best time to do
it. Especially with respect to Bali, it's a bit like the
Americans introducing a visa fee to visit America one week after
Sept. 11.

I have a much better idea, which I would like to share with
your readers. Instead of asking each tourist to "cough up"
another 50 bucks, why not pay them US$50 to come here. I'm sure
this would result in a stampede of families rushing to get here
thanks to the magnanimosity of the government in Bali's hour of
need.

Alright, this may be asking too much. But, seriously what
about a voucher for the equivalent of $50 worth of services such
as spa and dinner vouchers to be included with each visa. I'm
sure many of the hotels and restaurants here would be more than
happy to oblige. Even now, what with SARS etc, the average
occupancy rate in high-end hotels is only 20 percent to 25
percent.

IAN GREGORY
Denpasar, Bali