(1/30/2006)
Patience and persistence is apparently going to be rewarded as the Bali Tourism Board (BTB) received confirmation on Thursday, January 26, 2005, that, after nearly 4 months of lobbying with the Central government in Jakarta, some Rp. 67 billion (approximately US$ 7.1 million) in special funding will soon be available for Bali's tourism recovery projects.
In a series of Jakarta meetings with Ministry of Culture & Tourism and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy that started just days after the October 1, 2005 terror attack, representatives of BTB have busily drafted detailed budget proposal and plans for various activities to hasten the recovery of the Island's tourism industry. Included in the proposed budgets are sums for the establishment of a BTB Press Center, advertising, overseas missions to key markets, and the hosting of press and travel industry educational trips to Bali.
During the January 26th meeting at the BTB office in Denpasar, Mr. Wardiyatmo, an expert staff on economic matters from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, confirmed that plans for the recovery funding have finally been approved by the Ministry of Finance with steps now underway within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to establish the coordinating and control mechanisms required to oversee the fund's disbursement.
Depending on the nature of the various promotional activities included in the plan, funds will be made available either directly via the Ministry in Jakarta or through the Bali Tourism Authority - the government office charged with tourism matters in Bali.
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