SARS won't delay PATA conference
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The planned Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) conference in Bali will not be delayed despite an outbreak of a deadly new pneumonia-like virus in the region.
The Indonesian Culture and Tourism Board (ICTB) has remained adamant about pushing through with the event, which will host delegates from around the world -- including those countries that have been hardest hit by the virus.
"We have not yet received any cancellations from participants due to fears over the disease," ICTB chairman Setyanto P. Santosa said on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference, Setyanto expressed optimism that some 800 foreign delegates and 500 domestic participants would show up for the 52nd PATA annual conference.
"As of today, some 742 participants from 41 countries have confirmed they will attend the conference," he said.
The PATA conference will be held from April 13 to April 17 in Bali.
Setyanto said that the board would not ban any participants from Singapore, Hong Kong or China where the illness, known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was reaching epidemic proportions.
The ICTB is a unit of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Culture whose main job is to promote the country's tourism sector.
Setyanto added that the board had teamed up with the Indonesian Travel Health Society (ITHS) to prevent any delegates infected by SARS from coming to the conference.
"We are on alert, we will place at least 15 doctors at the Ngurah Rai airport in Bali," Setyanto said.
ITHS is a non-governmental organization which consists of both doctors and tourist industry experts.
Tourist experts have warned that SARS could become a new threat to the country's tourist sector, which had just begun to show signs of recovery after the devastating impact of last year's Bali terror bombing.
To date, about 80 people have reportedly died from SARS around the world and there have been 2,000 suspected cases reported.
Two of the worst affected areas are Hong Kong and Singapore, both of which are among Indonesia's most important tourism markets.
The upcoming PATA conference will be aimed at providing opportunities for international tourism executives to expand their networks and achieve a greater understanding of the trends making an impact on tourism.
The conference, with the theme of "Culture and Tourism: From Heritage to Legacy", will be kicked off by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
The theme is expected to raise greater awareness among the delegates about their responsibility for protecting and passing on local culture and heritage to subsequent generations.
For Indonesia, the event is considered significant as it could contribute to the recovery of Bali's tourism.
Elsewhere, Setyanto said that the government has projected that between 3.8 million and 4.5 million foreign tourists would visit the country this year.
He said that despite concerns over the local reaction to the war in Iraq and SARS, the low-end range of the target could still be met.
Last year, the number of foreign tourists fell to around 4 million from 5.15 million in 2001.
Tourism is the country's second largest non-oil and gas foreign exchange earner.