SARS deals second blow to Bali tourism

SARS deals second blow to Bali tourism

Gde Anugrah Arka, Reuters, Bali

Made Suarsa's minibus is almost empty these days as he winds
through the narrow streets of Denpasar, capital of one of the
world's best-known travel destinations, Bali.

The minibus often used to be packed with tourists from among
the Australian surfers, Japanese honeymooners and international
celebrities who flocked to the island of long, white sand
beaches, towering volcanoes, and lush vegetation.

That was before last October's nightclub bombings on Kuta
Beach -- blamed on Muslim militants -- that killed 202 people,
mostly foreigners, and the more recent impact on regional travel
from the deadly SARS virus.

Made, a Balinese Hindu in his 50's and already a grandfather
several times over, tries to be philosophical about the drop in
his business and that of others reliant on the tourist trade.

"Maybe we have to look at our karma, look at things that have
gone wrong," he says.

But others in Bali, where 70 percent of the population
directly or indirectly depends on tourism for their survival, are
more pragmatic about ways to get visitors and their money back to
"Paradise Island".

Before the bomb blasts, tourism was bringing Indonesia some $5
billion a year, with Bali accounting for about 35 percent of the
total.

Don Birch, who heads leading Asian travel information and
reservation services provider Abacus International, said Bali was
beginning to recover after the bombings through low-cost packages
and promotional campaigns to boost its image.

Hotels and airlines have made a concerted effort to provide
travelers with "cost-effective packages" designed to jump start
Bali's tourism business, he told a regional tourism meeting in
Bali this week.

"Once the tourism industry partners in Bali showed the world
that safety and security precautions were in place and government
advisories were removed, travelers returned," Birch said.
SARS SCARE

In the last few weeks, however, Bali has had to deal with a
new problem, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

SARS, which has been spread around the world by travelers, has
infected at least 4,000 people and killed more than 230 people in
25 countries in the last six weeks, after first showing up in
southern China in November.

While Indonesia has yet to confirm any cases, important
sources of tourism for the sprawling archipelago such as
Singapore and Hong Kong have been hit hard, and many Westerners
are simply avoiding Asian travel altogether.

"SARS is the biggest problem, more than anything else now,"
said Julita Chandra, marketing communications manager at five
star Hotel Nusa Dua Beach. "If it is not resolved the outlook for
hotels here will continue to be gloomy."

Before SARS emerged, Bali tourist arrival growth was
accelerating from the lows hit just after the bombings in late
October and early November, when occupancy percentages at many
hotels were measured in single digits.

Arrivals in February, for example, were down around 28 percent
from the same month a year earlier, compared to a 56 percent
year-on-year drop in November. Last year the island recorded 1.35
million tourist arrivals.

At this week's tourism conference, industry leaders said they
would also try to fight the impact of terrorism and SARS by being
honest about problems while publicizing progress in dealing with
issues such as security and disease.

Some pin their hopes on "Baliphiles", those so in love with
the island they return year after year, and domestic tourists,
for whom SARS and possible anti-Western violence are not issues
and the bargain prices of recent months are hard to resist.

Australian Vern Cork is one of the Baliphiles. A retired
teacher who has visited Bali annually for more than 20 years, he
likes spending months every year in picturesque Ubud, with its
hills, trees and running streams.

He says his time in Ubud, considered the island's cultural
capital and center for traditional artists, has been an
enlightening experience so profound it helped him recover from a
Parkinson's-like disease.

"The culture is so rich. It is peaceful here. And despite all
the bad news, I am getting better here in Bali," Cork says.
Visitors willing to bargain hard can get sea-front rooms in some
five-star hotels for well under $100 a day.

Car rentals are down more than 25 percent from a year ago, and
many restaurants offer 50 percent off menu prices.

For roadside food seller Made Sujana, such steps cannot bring
recovery soon enough. "I earn 20,000 rupiah ($2.20) a day, a
third of what I got before the bombings," he said.

"I have two kids at school and I haven't paid my rent for two
months. I read it might take six months more to recover, by which
time my landlord may have already kicked us out."