Welcome to the island of the gods

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!