Satisfaction matches dissatisfactions at BTM

By I. Christianto

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Satisfaction and dissatisfaction equally marked the closing of the first annual Bali Travel Mart (BTM) on Saturday.

The event recorded a total loss of Rp 62.9 million (about US$9,500).

The head of the provincial office of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and chairman of the organizing committee, Luther Barrung, said the committee had learned a lot from this initial event to make improvements for the next one.

"There will be no exhibition or expo in the travel mart next year," he said.

Most of the expo participants complained about the small number of visitors to the expo, which was held at the Kuta Center near Kuta Beach, which is some distance from Nusa Dua, where the mart and seminar were held.

The organizing committee had to refund up to 75 percent of registration fees to participants.

Barrung said the committee refunded a total of Rp 61 million to expo participants. "We could have broken even if there was no reimbursements. But that's OK. We've learned many things to make the next event better."

Event director Rob Langtry said only 202 buyers and 230 sellers attended the BTM.

"We are very pleased with the result," he said.

"All of the feedback from both buyers and sellers will be taken into account in our planning for next year," he said.

BTM, prepared in less than half a year, was run by an organizing committee under the advice of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. No Professional Conference Organizer was appointed to hold this event which comprised three activities: travel exchange, seminar and expo.

The five-day event was backed by the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, the Indonesian Association of Travel Agents, Casa Grande Bali and Inbound Tours Operators Club Bali.

In organizing the event, the committee applied procedures used by the ASEAN Travel Fair and the annual travel mart in Singapore.

According to Langtry, there were 1,518 total transactions during the five-day event, or 6.6 per seller. Transaction value was estimated at $41.4 million, or $180,000 for each of 230 booths at the expo up to Friday.

"The second BTM next year will focus on three categories: Bali, Bali and Beyond, and Asia Pacific.

"There will be three activities including Bali Trade Sport; Tourism and Investment Forum; and the Mart. The event will be during June 27 to 30 next year at the same place, the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua," he said, adding the theme of the mart would be "New Directions for a New Millennium".

The 2000 forum will be the first tourism and investment seminar in which people from the financial sector with vested interests in the development and management of Bali and its tourism assets will be expected to attend, he said.

There were several cases during the BTM where buyers failed to keep a significant number of their appointments. In such a situation, the committee would usually take firm action by, for instance, not allowing their participation in following events or by handing their names to other committees of similar activities in the region.

Seller Indriyani Kembuan of Deha Tour in Jakarta said she failed to get the number of buyers she expected.

"Some of the buyers already have networks in Bali, so they preferred to wander around with their agents during the event," she said.

The committee should have invited buyers from new markets, she said, agreeing that this event would successfully repromote the country's tourist industry.

Bradford Zak of Majapahit Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Surabaya said he made more contacts that he expected.

"As a first event, we anticipated some disappointment. I understand there has been tough competition among the sellers by holding their own familiarization during and beyond the official schedule," he said.

It was, however, typical in such an event, he said.

Langtry said there had been more than 210 appointments not kept with over 130 delegates and buyers off-site during scheduled programs.

Langtry said that at next year's BTM, the committee would maximize the quality of buyers.

"Unlike this year's event where buyers got free air transportation and accommodation, next year they will have to pay a registration of $1,200. Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines will participate again next year and air fares will be based on discounts. Rooms will be charged at a nominal rate. Sellers will have to pay a fixed rate of $950 per booth for Indonesian delegates and $1,200 for overseas sellers," he said.