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"I am so pleased every time see Bali Discovery on the screen? I feel I still stay in touch, although it does not cure me of being so homesick for Java and Bali. It is an excellent and informative "newspaper"."
- Causing Concern: Visa Rules under Review
- Bali & Beyond: Borobudur Travel Mart
- Domestic Airlines - A Drastic Decline in Seats
- A Bend in the River Leadership Program
- Tourism Attaches at Indonesian Embassies?
- Bali & Beyond: Over 110 Buyers Expected At TIME '99
- Hotel Bali Rani Upgrades Facilities
- Melia Bali Wins the Nusa Dua Festival
- Save The Turtles - Hero Obeys the Rules
- Shangri-La Withdraws from Bali Dynasty
- Bon Odori Oct 13-15 At Bali Hilton
- Australian Free-Lance Journalist To Visit
CAUSING CONCERN: VISA
RULES UNDER REVIEW
Officials of the Indonesian Immigration department
have recently caused widespread concern in tourism circles with a suggestion
that the visa-on-arrival facility enjoyed by some 48 countries be reviewed
and revoked for citizens from those 43 countries which do not extend reciprocal
privileges to holders of Indonesian passports.
Tourism industry leaders have been fairly unanimous
is urging caution before such a move is formally adopted pointing to the
leading role played by tourism in producing desperately needed foreign
exchange earnings. Genuine concern also exists that Indonesian embassies
abroad are ill-equipped to quickly and efficiently handle visa applications
and the added expense and bureaucracy of having to apply for a visa beforehand
would make the Indonesian tourism product non-competitive with other destinations
in the region. In fact, many argue that the growth of the Indonesian tourism
sector dates from the commencement of the visa on arrival facility introduced
in the late 1970's.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Tourism, Art and
Culture, Mr. I. Gede Ardika has been quoted in the local press as pointing
out that the current visa-on-arrival facility was extended by Presidential
decree and that the proposed change, based on reciprocity, should only
be taken if the Government genuinely determines it no longer needed tourist
arrivals or wishes to curtail arrivals from specific countries.
PATA Bali Chapter is preparing a formal letter to
the Director General of Tourism, Art and Culture urging current visa policies
from major source countries not be changed. Major wholesalers and interested
others are urged to do the same.
Whatever other considerations may be at play here,
removal of the visa-on-arrival facility will set Indonesian tourism back
20 years.
BALI & BEYOND: BOROBUDUR
TRAVEL MART
25 Buyers from ASEAN and Hong Kong are expected to
attend the Borobudur Travel Mart (BTM) scheduled to be held in Solo, Central
Java, October 31- November 13.
Headquartered at the Hotel Sahid in Solo, the 13
day event forms a part of the Begawan Solo Fair being held in the classic
setting of the home city of one of the island's main Sultanates. Solo
is only a short distance from a number of important historical sites including
the Borobudur Temple.
DOMESTIC AIRLINES -
A DRASTIC DECLINE IN SEATS
Although not reflected in Bali arrival statistics
which generally focus only on direct international arrivals, Bali has
suffered over the past 2 years a tremendous downturn in passenger arrivals
on domestic flights from other Indonesian ports. Domestic tourists, suffering
from the national economic downturn, have declined together with the number
of foreign tourists who, in former times, arrived on domestic flights
after first visiting other cities in Indonesia.
Where 747's and A-300's formerly flew on an almost
hourly basis from Jakarta and other cities, much smaller 737's now operate
at lower daily frequencies. Bankruptcy by Sempati Airlines and reduced
flights by other national carriers between December 1997 and March 1999
represent a 63.9% decrease in total passenger seats available nation-wide
on domestic flights.
To "kick start" the domestic aviation industry and
literally get the country moving again, existing airlines and potential
start-up operators are now looking at charter operations to various domestic
destinations. Foreign investors interested in joint-venture airline operations
are also being sought in order to position Indonesia to play an active
role in Asia-Pacific air travel, expected to boom in the first decade
of the new millenium.
A BEND IN THE RIVER
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Many people in Bali have had a preview of what John
Vamos and Bruce Haddon can offer from the "Increasing Productivity" Seminar
held last June at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Now these two dynamic presenters
are back in Bali for a Business Thinking Systems Conference, ready to
share their thoughts and practical business strategies for leadership
into the new millennium.
From Sunday, September 11, until Tuesday, September
14, these two outstanding trainers will be in Bali at Nusa Dua with a
program entitled "A Bend in the River: The Ultimate Leadership Program"
organized by Tirian Training. A river's course is not determined at one
particular point, but by the options available to it at each turn. How
that river came to be at that particular bend depends on everything that
came before. What happens at each turning point determines its present
course and limits or expands its future possibilities. "A Bend in the
River" describes those turning points in our lives. Current registration
for "A Bend in the River" has over 100 Australian businesses attending
with a number of spaces being reserved for late, local registration in
Bali.
In addition to John Vamos, the managing director
of Business Thinking System, and Bruce Haddon, creative director of Haddon
Perceptions, the Bali program will also feature a number of leading CEO's
and Managing Directors of top Austral-Asian corporations.
For more details about this seminar contact Andrew
Grant at Tirian. Email to : info@tirian.com
Plans are currently under consideration to appoint
a tourism attaché to be assigned to Indonesia Embassies in order to address
the promotional vacuum created by the closure of all 7 overseas tourism
information offices.
The Director General of Tourism, Art and Culture,
Mr. I. Gede Ardika, stated that he has requested assistance from the Department
of Foreign Affairs to help promote Indonesian tourism. A memorandum of
understanding is said to now be in the final stages of preparation that
will formalize the Foreign Affairs Department's responsibility in ensuring
its overseas delegates promote tourism.
Bali tourism supports Mr. Ardika's initiative and
anything Else that will help promote the national tourism industry. Hopefully,
training in tourism and Indonesian destinations will be included in the
proposed memorandum as Bali will certainly be prepared to provide familiarization
programs for those selected to spread the word on Indonesian tourism at
our Embassies abroad.
BALI & BEYOND: OVER
110 BUYERS EXPECTED AT TIME '99
Organizers of the Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo
'99 (TIME '99) report more than 110 buyers from 25 countries are expected
to be on hand in Jakarta September 21-25. In order the lure buyers to
the event, buyers are paying only US$250 which will cover accommodation
and mart registration and are eligible for 50% discounts on air transportation
in connection with the event.
Some 129 sellers from 17 different Indonesian provinces
are already registered to participate. A limit of 150 sellers has been
sent for the mart.
HOTEL BALI RANI UPGRADES
FACILITIES
Hotel Bali Rani has just upgraded the facilities
with a Spa & Massage Center. Services being offered in the new facility
include a fitness center, sauna, massage, a beauty salon and general spa
services.
For further information contact Hotel Bali Rani Phone.
62-361-751369, facsimile 62-361-752673
The Melia Bali Resort again placed first out of 14
entries in the 1999 Nusa Dua Festival held August 27 to 02 September.
Participants were judged during the opening grand procession for their
presentation, creativity, design and concept to showcase Bali's colorful
lifestyle. In addition to the opening parade, each hotel also participated
in unique cultural demonstrations during the 7-day event.
Melia Bali's award winning parade consisted of more
than 100 resort staffs from various departments adorned in traditional
Balinese ceremonial dress. Within the procession Melia Bali's team demonstrated
authentic wedding attire. The centerpiece of the grand procession was
Melia Bali's unique and very large "Garuda Wisnu" statue carried by 25
hotel staff wearing black and white "Saput" sarongs.
This year's festival, the third in what is hoped to
be an annual event on Bali's calendar, was extremely successful with more
than 1200 participants and 8000 guests attending the 7-day event.
Full marks to Mr. A.A. Gede Rai, President Director
of the Bali Tourism Development Coporation (BTDC), whose love for his
island and decisive management style made this year's Festival a resounding
success.
SAVE THE TURTLES - HERO
OBEYS THE RULES
Proof that the key to enforcing environmental standards
in the community is educating the public to those standards was demonstrated
this past week when the Hero Supermarket in Bali's capital city of Denpasar
withdrew turtle eggs from their shelves following a visit by local environmentalists.
Last week, a team of Balinese from the local office
of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) called on the supermarkets to remind
them that the sale of the eggs was a clear violation of government regulations
protecting endangered species. Once Hero Supermarket's local manager,
Sansu Arifin, was made aware of the error of the supermarket's ways, the
management of Hero quickly agreed to stop selling the eggs.
Bravo WWF! Bravo Hero Supermarket!
Hero's redemption would be complete, at least in
the eyes of this customer, if they estimated the profits derived from
past sale of turtle eggs and paid a multiple of that amount to one of
several local projects on the island designed to protect the turtles.
Now that would really make them a HERO.
SHANGRI-LA WITHDRAWS
FROM BALI DYNASTY
Effective September 30, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
have formally withdrawn from the management of the Bali Dynasty Hotel.
Shangri-La Hotels have managed the 267-room hotel
since 1990. The company will continue to manage its two deluxe properties
in Jakarta and Surabaya.
The withdrawal from the Bali property was reportedly
by mutual consent between Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and the local
owner of the hotel, P.T. Dwimitra Nusantara.
BON ODORI OCT 13-15 AT
BALI HILTON
The Bon Odori is a Japanese Ritual Procession in
which ancestors' souls are thought to come back to visit their families
on earth. In Japan a special altar is traditionally set with lanterns
to welcome the honored ancestors and guide them back to the ancestral
home. This important religious event is usually held during the Obon period
of 13-15 July and August 15, depending on the region. This year the Bali
Hilton International and Japanese community of Bali will mark the Bon
Odori festival on September 9, with traditional games on the hotels grounds
reminiscent of a summer festival in Japan. A tall central station will
be erected which will include a large drum to accompany the singers and
dancers who will perform traditional Bon Odori Folklore.
Those wishing to join the celebrations are reminded
wear a summer style kimono, called a Yukata.
