BALI UPDATE #298 - 03 June 2002

Editorial: Chinese Take-Away

Government's Approach to the Chinese Market: Confused at Best.

A recent well-publicized skirmish between two rival factions of Bali's China Travel Commission (ICTC) over who would win the right to lead the organization charged with controlling the handling of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Bali, serves to underline what seems to be a most confused and fundamentally flawed approach by the Government on how to handle the Chinese traveler destined for Indonesia.

In era where red tape is becoming universally badly out of fashion, Indonesian tourism has ironically managed to fashion a behemoth of bureaucratic bumbling that seems destined to foster poor service and inept handling of the People Republic of China's Visitors to the Country.

The Case Against Special Licensing

The Decision by Indonesia's Tourism Officials to introduce an additional layer of licensing for the Country's tour operators handling the Chinese market, instead of inhibiting bad tourism practice, seems destined to be perverted into achieving the very opposite of its stated goal. While Indonesia has a large number of professional tour operators with long track records of successfully handling guests from every national, linguistic, and cultural grouping, the Government decided that those wishing to handle Chinese clients must first prove their "special" capabilities in that area. That the initial list of "approved" agencies reportedly contained the names of agencies that have been closed or operationally dormant for some time, speaks volumes to the lack of selectivity and professionalism in that selection process.

Moreover, the recent melee between rival ICTC's factions in Bali over who would be allowed to reap the windfall from a cash surcharge to be levied on every visiting Chinese tourist, serves to underline how badly out of synch the entire official approach to the Chinese market has become.

Certain officials have defended the licensing process as necessary to thwart unscrupulous practices, such as the buying and selling of tour groups to Chinese-language guides who recoup their investment through forcing their guests to tour and dine at establishments paying usurpationist commissions. Yet the practical result of the licensing requirements seems to be that the newly licensed agents - now confident in their exclusive franchise - may likely introduce even higher levels of commission and lower levels of servive to their Chinese clients.

The Myth of China Monolith

Perhaps, the root of the current mess is the mistaken perception that sees Chinese tourism as some sort of monolithic commodity, that can be traded with impunity between the two governments.

We wonder: Did misguided Chinese tourism officials wrongly arrogate to themselves the ability to divvy up and distribute the Chinese tourist market and were our national officials duped into believing that the Mainland travelers little more than obedient lambs without choice in purchasing their leisure travel? Did these same officials miscast the Chinese traveler as a form of government to government aide, open to "horse-trading" in smoke filled rooms? If such was the case, they could not have been more wrong: the modern Chinese consumer has a very wide range of choice in how and where to spend his money.

Given these facts, when Chinese officials requested the current licensing scheme from their Indonesian counterparts, wouldn't the most appropriate response have been a polite refusal, pointing to an exisiting licensing procedur and leaving free market forces to set price and service levels?

The Chinese economy, including its tourism sector, is among one of the most vibrant in the world today and is best served by an open and free competition of packages and tours offered by any officially licensed Indonesian tour operator. We contend that free market access offers its own best immunity to "bad practice." Unscrupulous operators find it difficult to survive in a marketplace that offers consumers the widest possible choice.

Indications that the Chinese tourism officials who demanded the current licensing scheme may have overstated their "sway" in the Chinese marketplace is evidenced in the fact that promised "flood" of Chinese tourists to Indonesia still remains very a "trickle." Unwilling to be dictated to, the Chinese consumer may, in fact, be unimpressed with the reputation for service to Chinese visitors offered by the oligarchical grouping of the ICTP agents and, instead, be choosing to take their holiday Yuan and Rinminbi elsewhere.

Wrong Prescription

Although still in the early days, there is growing evidence that the supplemental licensing requirement for the Mainland Chinese market isn't going to help stimulate Chinese tourism or provide the desired safeguards for Chinese visitors during their visit to Indoneisa.

A more workable solution might be to allow the Country's exisiting substantial number of experienced and ethical licensed tour operators to freely compete for the Chinese tourists. Meanwhile, the Government would do better to concentrate its efforts at establishing a formal consumers bureau dealing especially with tourism that handles complaints and roots out unethical companies preying on tourist visitors - from all markets, both domestic and international.

It's never too late to do the right thing: Ditch the supplemental licensing requirement and, instead, create a transparent consumer agency that protects the interest of all travelers in Indonesia.

The Dream Continues

An Entry Sent During Our Recent Contest from New York.

The contest is over and the winner announced, but we still have a backlog of excellent entries in the Bali Dream Holiday contest. Brian Tang, btang@rcn.com, from New York City sent this entry in the midst of planning his Balinese wedding.

Getting Married on Bali

"Close your eyes, hon, and picture where we will get married," I tell my fiancé. "Breathe in the musty sea breeze and hear lapping waves beckon our aerial approach."

We will welcome our guests with a Jimbaran Bay seafood barbeque, with aromatic fresh-baked lobster, fish and satay mingling with crackling babi guling. Indigenously clad in fine batik and sarong, we will all immediately feel at ease in our tranquil and intimate villa around an emerald pool of inviting serenity. The gentle hospitality of our hosts, welcoming us with garlands of sweet-scented flowers and offering us fresh fruit concoctions, will soothe our collective travel weary senses as we forget all our cares.

The next day, our guests will have the opportunity to experience the many wonders of the island. The adventurous nature-lovers will have volcanoes to climb and reefs to explore; the cultural-buffs will have many wonderful temples to discover; and our shopaholic aunts will have Ubud's exquisite local crafts to ensure that they return home with a memorable keepsake! In the meantime, our wedding party will relax and be pampered by a luxurious spa.

At sunset, we will exchange our marriage vows under a thatched bale overlooking the Indian Ocean, that mystical time when the crimson orb reunites heaven and earth. Surrounded by cherished family and friends to witness and celebrate our commitment to each other, the mood will be set by the dulcet tones of the rindik's bamboo song. As we march down the petal-covered grassy aisle together, the cool gentle wind that sways our palm-leaf arches will also lift the petals strewn by our guests like tropical snow flakes in our wake.

Candles will light our path to a wonderful rijstaffel meal, combining the best of east and west, and served with grace and ceremony in an evening we will never forget.

And where could this magical day take place, you may ask my dear?

"Why, we will marry on the island of Bali."

More information: All Entries in the Bali Dream Holiday Contest

PrepCom IV: So Far So Good

Half Way Through PrepCom IV Conference - Large Numbers and Large Protests Have Not Materialized.

At the end of the first week and half-way through the The 4^th Preparatory Committee Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (PrepCom IV) the security situation on Bali remains calm, despite a general air of discontent being voiced against the governments of the developed nations for allegedly failing to embrace the concerns and aspirations of the debt-ridden third world.

Numbers Not Materialized

Earlier predictions of between 6,000-10,000 visitors to Bali in connection with the PrepCom IV conference seemed to have been grossly overstated. While no official figure have been reported, the general consensus is that the total number of participants is nearer to 2,000 official delegates and interested representatives of non-government organizations (NGO's) on the island. With the exception of a small illegal encampment at the Udayana University Campus in Jimbaran, predictions of large "people's camps" filling Serangan island have not materialized.

A warning of a room shortage issued by Bali Tourism Board has also failed to occur. While hotels in the Nusa Dua are running at very high occupancy levels, rooms are still available all of the major tourist areas of Bali.

Security Crunch in the Week Ahead

A massive security presence comprised of over 5,000 Indonesian police and military personnel backed up by an even larger force of volunteer Balinese pacalang, or local village forces, have managed to overwhelm the number of attendees at the event. During the first week of PrepCom IV, demonstrators have been largely absent from the main conference area near the Bali International Conference Center (BICC) with the exception of a single, small peaceful group of South African anti-debt protestors who penetrated police cordons by arriving at the BICC in a delegate bus. That group, after briefly unfurling a banner and poster then adjourned at the police's request to an area removed from the main conference hall.

The critical test of the security preparedness for the conference lies in the remaining week of the conference which culminates with the main pelanary sessions June 05-07, 2002. While the initial week has been preparatory in nature, VVIP ministerial delegations from over 130 nations will be on hand for the final week when papers and declarations are put in final form for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa in Late August of this year.

Bookmark balidiscovery.com where any significant breaking developments in connection with The 4^th Preparatory Committee Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development will be immediately posted.

Airport Fees Increase, Again

Domestic Service Up 81% and Other Charges Also Increase at Ngurah Rai Airport.

Following close on the heels of the recent increase of the Airport Service Charge (ASC) leveled on departing international passengers (now, Rp. 100,000), the Bali Airport Authority (Angkasa Pura) announced on May 31, 2002, that the service charge for departing domestic passengers will increase 81% from Rp. 11,000 to Rp. 20,000, effective July 01, 2002.

Parking Fees Also Increased

Also announced by the Airport Authority were new rate structures for parking and vehicle storage:

Type Old Rate New Rate Motorcycles - Rp. 500 Sedans / Mini Bus Rp. 1,000 Rp. 1,500 Bus / Truck Rp. 2,000 Rp. 3,000 Overnight Motorcycles - Rp. 2,500 Overnight Sedans / Mini Bus - Rp. 7,500 Overnight Bus / Truck - Rp. 15,000

More information: Related Story: Airport Service Charge Increased 33

Go Fly a Kite!

Bali's Annual Kite Flying Season Returns - Sometimes with a Vengeance.

The onset of Australia's Winter Season always results in a freshening of Bali's offshore winds and the perennial return of the island's kite flying season.

While children worldwide love to indulge in the pastime, it would be wrong to consider kite flying as it is practiced in Bali anything approaching "child's play." In fact, so serious is the local commitment to the sport that entire villages collaborate in making elaborately designed kites in local Banjar centers that will be launched by the village's men folks and kept aloft for days on end.

In this predominantly male pastime where size does matter, the kites can be as large as a city bus and require large trucks and motorcycle escorts in order to arrive safely at the launching grounds. There, handled by teams of men pulling ropes that can be several kilometers long, the kites are suspended thousands of feet above Bali's shore line secured by massive wooden stakes driven into the ground.

Not Without Problems

Bali's commitment to kite flying does bring its share of problems and hazards to local residents. Sometimes serious facial injuries are suffered by motorcyclists who unwittingly encounter a kite's line stretched across local roads; power blackouts occur when escaped kites short circuit high power lines; traffic accidents do occur when a bus-sized kite suddenly lands on one of the major highways; and the kites are an acknowledged threat to commercial aircraft operations.

A Potential hazard to Air Traffic

Anticipating these problems, local laws prohibit kites flying within 9 kilometers radius of the Ngurah Rai Airport at altitudes exceeding 100 meters. Further out, in a radius of 9 to 18 kilometers from the airfield, kites are forbidden to fly at altitudes exceeding 300 meters. Fines stipulated for violating this statue can reach as high as Rp. 5 million (+/- US$ 580).

Local regulations to the contrary, a Singapore Airlines flight taking off from Ngurah Rai Airport on May 17, 2002, severed a kite wire with its wing. Fortunately, the Airbus' engines were not involved and no serious damage to the aircraft resulted from the encounter.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Bali and Havana - Now Both Home to Great Cigars.

Contraband in the U.S.A., but readily available in Bali - a wide range of outstanding Cuban Cigars are now on offer at the Cigars & Cigars outlet located in the Kuta Poleng Shopping Center. Part of an Asia-wide chain operated by The Pacific Cigar Company Ltd., the Bali branch offers a wide selection of exclusively Cuban Cigars presented in a wood-paneled club ambience that features a climate controlled humidor selection room, a complete range of accessories for cigar aficionados, and a relaxing smokers' lounge.

On Saturday, June 01, 2002, Cigars & Cigars hosted one of their regular "out of the humidor" nights including a live cigar-making demonstration by "master cigar roller" Emiliano Frances Gonzales. Literally born in a Havana cigar workshop where his mother worked some 68 years ago, Emiliano has been involved in the family business since the age of ten, rising to become the Manager of "Hoyo de Monterrey" and "Punch" - posts he held for 20 years.

At the June "out of the humidor" night guests enjoyed complimentary cigars, fine wines and Mojitos, while watching the maestro carefully select and combine the five different types of leaves that go into the hand crafting of a fine Habano.

Banned by the U.S. Government from import to the United States, many American visitors to the island are said to include a stop at Cigars & Cigars early in their Bali Holiday, permitting them to enjoy the forbidden pleasures of a fine Havana Cigar during their absence from the United States.

More information: Pacific Cigar Company

Bundgaard Joins Sheraton Laguna

Starwood Appoints Hotel Manager to Sheraton Laguna, Bali Property.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has appointed Mr. Jan Bundgaard as the Hotel Manager at their Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua Resort, effective May 13, 2002. In his new role, Mr. Bungaard is responsible for the overall hotel operations of the 270-room Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua, Bali. He reports to Mr. Richard Bussiere who heads the Starwood group of hotels in Indonesia.

Mr. Bundgaard joined Starwood Hotels & Resorts as a Financial Controller at The Westin Resort - Macau in 1996. Before coming to Bali, he was promoted as the Director of Finance Asia Pacific - Starwood Hotels and Resorts and was also responsible as the Regional Controller for China which includes 12 properties.

Starting his hotel career in 1991, Mr. Bundgaard has worked at the Forte Beach Plaza Hotel, Monaco, in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Hotel des Bergues and the Sandy Lane Hotel & Golf Club in Barbados, West Indies.

Mr. Bundgaard is fluent in English, French and Danish and is a graduate of Hotelconsult in Switzerland.

More information: Book a Stay at the Sheraton Laguna

Say 'No' to Plastics

ASITA Chapter Holds Fund Raising Night to Fight Plastics 08 June.

The Bali Chapter of The Associations of Indonesian Travel Agents (ASITA) will hold a fund-raising evening in support of a program to save Bali from plastics on Saturday, June 08, 2002.

Hosted by the well-known national entertainer Dorce Gamala the event will be held at the Radisson Hotel Sanur's Grand Ballroom starting at 19.30 p.m.. In addition to a four-course dinner and musical entertainment, raffles prizes and silent auctions will also be on offer.

The event is open to the public and tickets are on sales for:

VVVIP Guests Rp. 600,000 each

VVIP Guests Rp. 500,000 each

VIP Guests Rp.400,000 each

Tickets can be ordered by contacting Anna at the ASITA Bali Chapter office at ++62-(0)361-426772 or by calling Al Purwa at +62-(0)8123957777.

$100 Taxi Ride

Episode of Popular TV Program Filmed in Bali.

Now in its 2^nd season, the "$100 Taxi Ride" - a television program shown on Canada's Life Network and internationally on the National Geographic Channel, came to Bali in late May to film a segment.

A co-production of West Park Pictures (UK) and Great North Productions (Canada), the travel adventure show circles the globe to meet interesting and amusing local cab drivers who take the viewers on a personal tour by taxi for as far as $100 will go.

And in a Bali Taxi, $100 takes you a very long way.

Using compact and highly portable sound and camera equipment, an invisible passenger got "up close and personal" with a Bali Taxi driver, Made Sukra, who covered almost the entire breadth of the Island in what proved to be very much an "off the beaten track" experience. The production team left Bali feeling they had just filmed one of their most successful episodes with a local driver who, in their words, proved himself a one-man "entertainment center, a non stop resource of imitations, dancing and humor."

Their only complaint: How to fit so much excellent footage into a single segment of the program?

Coming soon to a TV set near you? The Journey Continues: The $100 Bali Taxi Ride Part II"

Bali Discovery Tours provided casting, location scouting, and local logistical support to the $100 Taxi Ride during their Bali filming.

More information: Bali Discovery Film Services