Reviving tourism on Bali

Reviving tourism on Bali

From Koran Tempo

The Island of the Gods appears to have lost its luster after the bomb blast in Legian, Kuta, Bali. Luckily, there are reports that Bali will host the 19th Summit Conference of ASEAN on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, 2003.

This should be warmly welcomed by all Indonesians. The bomb blast that claimed more than 180 lives has greatly reduced tourist arrivals in Bali, the gateway to a number of other tourist destinations across the country.

The government, in this case the coordinating minister for the economy and the state minister of tourism and culture, has invited national and international tourism investors and observers to hold a national coordination conference regarding the restoration of Bali's tourism image.

The marketing of Bali's tourism is now being intensified through, among other things, antiterrorist campaigns, the appointment of professional companies to deal with public relations, counseling for journalists and travel writers from Asia and the Pacific, the campaigns of "Bali is back to normal" and "Bali is still the Island of the Gods" and the dissemination of information to Indonesia's representatives abroad.

All these measures show efforts to revive tourism nationwide, with Bali as the engine. The final objective is the restoration of the image of Indonesia as a safe destination for tourists.

YUDHA RAHARJO, Jakarta