Welcome to the island of the gods

Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

Starting today, no less than 14 leaders from members nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), plus Japan, China, South Korea and India, will stay in Nusa Dua, Bali to attend the ASEAN summit until Oct.8.

Business figures from Asian countries and their trading partners will also share their views at the ongoing ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

For Bali, which is now gradually returning to normal after the bloody bombing on Oct. 12, last year, this event will be the largest international gathering since the tragedy.

The arrival of such important people will certainly assist the healing process at this beautiful tourist destination.

The month of October will always be remembered by many Balinese, just as New Yorkers remember Sept. 11. Almost a year ago, the hopes, joy and dreams of local people were suddenly shattered by terrorist bomb attacks, a tragedy that claimed more than 200 victims, mostly Australian and other foreign tourists, enjoying holidays on the island.

The bombing of two places of entertainment, Paddy's and Sari Club, on Jl. Legian in the island's most populous, hedonistic and glittering entertainment center, Kuta, on Oct. 12, 2002, brought tourism almost to a halt.

It is almost a year since the tragedy and tourism has begun to recover slowly. Foreign and domestic visitors again began to arrive on the island, boosting hotel occupancy rates to 50 percent to 70 percent in September 2003.

Exports of textiles, garments, furniture and other commodities have also stabilized, as they were already established with faithful customers around the world.

Since the early 1960s, when Bali opened its international airport, millions of holiday makers around the world have spent leisure time on the island.

Bali then earned a worldwide reputation as an attractive and exotic holiday site for those eager to enjoy the sun, white sand and rich cultural potential.

A tourism boom occurred between the early l970s and late l980s, attracting domestic and foreign investors to build infrastructure to support Bali's rapidly growing tourism and hospitality industry.

Well-appointed resorts like Nusa Dua, Kuta and Sanur beach were filled with star-rated hotels, and villas mixed Balinese and Western architectural styles. Tourism became the economic foundation of the island, with its population of 3 million.

To combine business and leisure was a global tourist trend in the late l980s, which made Bali a favorite conference venue for international government leaders, executives and businesspeople.

The industry offered a wide array of job opportunities, both for locals as well as foreign workers seeking managerial positions at star-rated hotels and restaurants. Around 51 percent of Bali's once-agrarian population earned their living from tourism-related activities, including hotels, restaurants, airlines, travel agents and transportation. The informal sector was wide open to local artisans producing memorable and intricate artwork, handicraft and souvenirs.

Other industries, such as textiles and garments, wooden furniture and cargo, also flourished, making Bali a more prosperous province compared to other places in Indonesia.

For the central government in Jakarta, Bali became one of the country's robust "gold mines." Around 35 percent of Indonesia's estimated US$6 billion revenue in 2002 from tourism was generated in Bali. Every day, around 5,000 foreigners arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport, each staying for an average of five days and spending at least US$100 per day.

Suddenly, Amrozi, Imam Samudra and their terrorist accomplices destroyed the heavenly image of Bali. In one night, the island was transformed into a hellish and frightening place, a soft terrorist target.

In the aftermath of the tragic explosions, Bali became deserted. Nobody wanted to go on holiday to a place where terrorists might be hanging around. Occupancy rates of hotels in Nusa Dua resort complex and those in Kuta and Sanur dropped drastically to only 5 percent to 10 percent, leaving thousands of rooms vacant and forcing hotel workers to temporarily stay at home.

The majority of Balinese were filled with sadness and anger and saw only an endless, dark tunnel. However, when people talked about Bali and its people, they could not only perceive the tangible and physical elements: Bali is blessed and guarded by spiritual powers, intangible things one can hardly understand.

This spiritual understanding became an important basis for people to come to terms with their anger and hatred, and to purify their souls and their land from evil influences. For the Balinese, that was the way to restart their lives.

Such positive thinking may help restore Bali's image on the international stage. Even after the bombing, a prestigious international travel magazine recently rated Bali as one of the world's favorite holiday destinations.

The ongoing trials of the perpetrators of the Bali bombing have so far attracted a positive response from international leaders and the media. Many countries, including the United States and Australia, viewed the trials as fair and professional under the Indonesian judicial system.

Security has been tightened all over the island, especially in the last few days when thousands of security teams landed on the island to ensure the safety of delegates to two important summits.

Tourism, and all the people involved in it, hope the ASEAN Business Summit will become a turning point for the island to regain its prestige as one of the world's famous tourist destinations. Welcome to Bali and enjoy your stay!