BALI UPDATE #333 - 03 February 2003

In Memoriam for Those Who Touched the Face of God

The World Mourns the Loss of Seven Travelers Aboard the Spaceship Columbia.

balidiscovery.com wishes to pay its respect to the seven gallant and brave travelers who perished on Saturday, February 01, 2003, in the spaceship Columbia over the skies of Texas.

In our newsletter and website dedicated to the promotion of travel, the widening of human horizons, and the courage demanded by modern travelers to build borderless bridges of understanding and trust - we pause with the rest of the world to mourn the loss of those who so perfectly embodied these values.

While words are inadequate homage to those who paid so dearly in pursuit of the travel, freedom, and human understanding – we offer the words of "Flight" by John Gillespie Magee:

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never Lark, or even Eagle flew -
And while with silent lifting mind, I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

More information: NASA Website

Calls for a New Tourism Promotion Body

Senior Tourism Practitioners Call for New Promotion Organization.

Senior tourism players representing a number of organizations, including the Indonesia Tourism Society Bina Pariwisata (Care Tourism); Concern Group for Indonesian Aviation (PAUKI); and the Indonesian Tourism Senior's Club (ITSC) have united in a call for the establishment of a new official body charged with the promotion and marketing of tourism, similar to the now defunct Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI).

The call for new body for national tourism promotion was made during a workshop held by the three tourism groups in Central Java with the theme the "Survival of Indonesian Tourism."

Wahyu Hidayat, the former President Director of Merpati Nusantara Airlines and a member of PAUKI said the need for such a promotion body is essential to the salvation of national tourism. Hidayat quoted in the Indonesian language daily Bisnis Indonesia said, "by whatever name the proposed body is called, its presence is badly needed, as was the BPPI. But the main problem that must be resolved is a source of revenues and accountability for the use of those funds."

Current regulations stipulate that only the government or a body owned by the government is allowed public funding, effectively barring the private sector from tourism support funds.

Hidayat expressed the view that the government is often ineffective in its promotional programs and needed to engage a professional or undertake outsourcing, requiring cooperation between the private and public sector.

BPPI

The former BPPI was disbanded by the Ministry for Culture and Tourism with accumulated debts of US$ 19 million left unpaid. The sudden disbandment of the BPPI is reported to have left its former Chairman, Ponjo Sutowo in a precarious legal position, with creditors pursuing him for the debts incurred by the BPPI in the promotion of national tourism.

Bali to Lombok Ferry Fees Increase

Public Car and Passenger Ferry Rates Increase 10%.

Effective midnight on Wednesday, January 15, 2003, the tariff for ferry service between Lembar (Lombok) and Padang Bai (Bali) increased 10%.

State transportation authorities were quick to point out that the latest increase was not the result of recent hikes in fuel prices but was, in fact, the last remaining part of a planned 50% increase commenced in December 2002.

With the latest change of tariff, an economy passenger ticket now costs Rp. 15,000 (approximately US$ 1.69), increased from Rp. 13,500.

The tariff for the transportation of vehicles has increased a similar 10%.

WTO to Hold Important Meetings In Bali

World Tourism Organization Picks Bali Twice in 2003.

In addition to the 52^nd Annual Conference of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) scheduled for April, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) is scheduled to hold two important tourism meetings in Bali in 2003.

In April 2003, the WTO will convene a Think Tank on Tourism Destinations followed in June by the Regional Consultation on Child Prostitution.

According to Thamrin B. Bachri, the Marketing Deputy at the State Ministry for Culture and Tourism, said, "WTO is giving its full attention to Bali's recovery by affirming these two meetings in Bali."

FIATA Conference for Bali

Global Freight Forwarders to Gather in Bali September 29 – October 3.

Organizers of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders (FIATA) will hold their 41^st annual congress in Bali, September 29 to October 03, 2003.

Hosted by the Indonesian Forwarders Association (INFA), the congress is expected to draw some 1,200 freight forwarders from around the world, including 400 Indonesian participants.

Conference Theme

"The Role of Forwarders in the Logistic and Supply Chain" has been adopted as the overall theme for the congress that will be organized around an extensive program of seminars, workshops, and social functions.

FIATA is comprised of over 40,000 members companies working in 150 countries worldwide.

More information: Visit the FIATA Website

Bali Prepares for PATA Conference

Substantial Funds Allocated for Security and Conference Program in April.

Preparations for the Pacific Asia Travel Association's (PATA) 52^nd Annual Conference to be held in Bali April 13-17, 2003 continue to intensify as the date for the event on the world's travel calendar approaches.

Jimmy Carter to Address the Conference?

Reports have surfaced that Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker at the Conference expected to draw 1,500 participants from around the globe.

Funding for the Conference

Total funding for conference activities is estimated at Rp. 12.2 billion (approximately US$ 1.37 million). From the amount Rp. 6 billion will be provided by the Indonesian Culture and Tourism Promotion Board, Rp. 3 billion from the State Ministry for Culture and Tourism, Rp. 2.2 billion from the provincial government of Bali and Rp. 1 billion from the Badung provincial administration.

Intense Security Preparations

Police authorities are using the conference as the occasion to launch a restructured security system for the island. The government has allocated Rp. 39 billion (approximately US$ 4.4 million) for security expenses during the three month period January – March 2003.

Among the security measures included in the upgrade are an on-line control system between the Bali police and the National Police headquarters in Jakarta; improvements in security hardware deployed at Bali's airport and seaports; and an intense police presence with one officer for every 350 residents on the island.

Security Guarantee

In reviewing the extensive measures being put in place in connection with the PATA Conference, Eddy Karnadi, the police official charged with the daily handling of the Bali bombing case, said, "the Police of Bali are prepared to guarantee the safe conduct of the PATA conference to be held at the Bali International Conference Center (BICC) April 13-17. We will prioritize preventative efforts by securing strategic locations, such as airports, ports, conference venues and tourist attractions across the island."

In the aftermath of the tragic bombing of Bali on October 12, 2002, the PATA Conference has taken on a special meaning within the overall efforts of returning the island's tourism industry to full health.

Garuda Pilots and Management Nearing Agreement?

Management and Flight Deck Crew Promise to Sort Things Out by 04 Feb.

A threatened work slowdown scheduled to start on January 26^th that was to act as a prelude to a systems-wide strike by pilots that threatened to eventually stop all Garuda Indonesia flights has been narrowly averted by a series of emergency talks with the airline's pilot association. Just days before the work slowdown was expected to cause delays to passengers of between one and five hours the national carrier's management and pilots have agreed to a round of closed-door negotiations with both sides promising an agreement by a February 4^th deadline.

Responding to a request from Indonesia's Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Jacob Nuwa Wea, the Pilots' Association agreed not to commence their slow down as the Minister ordered both sides in the dispute to the negotiating table. Should the eleventh hour talks fail, the Minister stated the he would personally mediate the ongoing talks.

More information: Related Story: Garuda Pilots' Strike Averted?

Neckermann Lauds Resor Seminyak

Leading German Operator Puts Bali Resort in Top 100.

Leading German Tour Operator Thomas Cook – Neckermann has named Bali's Resor Seminyak – The Resort & Spa as among its top 100 Resorts worldwide. The Primo Award for the year 2002 was presented to the Resor Seminyak by Thomas Cook - Neckermann in recognition of the property's position as the "most comfortable beach resort in Bali" in the judgement of the tour operator's clients.

Positioning itself as a "semi-boutique resort," the Resor Seminyak is a 62 room property located on Bali's beautiful Kerobokan beach, just minutes north of the popular Kuta/Legian community.

More information: Book a stay at the Resor Seminyak

Do You Remember When?

An Old Bali Travel Brochure Brings Back Fond Memories.

An Australian reader recently discovered a Garuda Indonesia Bali travel brochure from the year 1980.

We suggest you hum a chorus of "Those Were the Days My Friends" while you contemplate the following "travel facts" from just 20 years ago:

∙ Visas were required for a visit to Bali and cost AUS$ 3.20 - valid for 30 days. Today, discussions are underway in Jakarta that might reintroduce a visa fee costing the equivalent of AUS$ 85.

∙ Vaccinations against cholera and smallpox were compulsory. Typhoid and paratyphoid vaccinations were recommended.

∙ The Australian dollar fluctuated between Rp. 595 and Rp. 610 to one Australian Dollar. (It now stands at approximately Rp. 5,220.)

∙ In 1980, the airport departure tax cost AUS$ 1.10. Today's equivalent is AUS$ 19.20.

∙ Tipping was not compulsory but "was always" appreciated and ranged from AUS$ 0.08 to 0.12 for each bag carried by a porter or bellboy. That's about Rp. 692 in today currency and you'll need nearly three times that to pay the official rate for each bag carried by an airport porter.

∙ The 1980 brochure recommended "Summer clothes, open neck short sleeved shirts, slacks are recommended. Formal wear is usually a dark lounge suit." Today, "Lounge Suits" are rarely seen, replaced by something called "smart casual."

∙ The same brochure cautioned: "Indonesia is a highly photogenic country. Those interested in photography should bring their own supply of film." 20 years later, 60-minute photo shops abound on almost every corner offering processing, film, and digital image services.

∙ In 1980, a taxi for sightseeing cost about AUS$ 0.80 per hour, that's about Rp. 4,000 in today's Rupiahs – the amount of the "flag fall" the moment you engage a metered Bali Taxi today.

∙ Australian travelers were also given the sage advice that "Changes in food sometimes results in minor stomach upsets." Two decades later, that remains a concern, but for somewhat different reasons: Trying to cram into a single holiday visits to Balinese, French, Greek, Indian, Mediterranean, Italian, Thai, Chinese, and MacDonald's restaurants will likely cause gastro-intestinal distress.

∙ In 1980 Garuda operated three weekly DC-8 flights from Sydney to Bali.

Believe It or Not!!!

On Line Poll Results

Respondents Give Thumbs Down to Proposed Changes in Visa Policy.

In Bali Update #332 we offered our very first on line pole in collaborations with bali-paradise.com asking for reader's views on proposed changes in Indonesia's visa policy.

Plans are currently underway on the national level that will potentially see the removal of the visa-free stay permit for 60 days currently accorded to the citizens of 48 countries. This development, covered on balidiscovery.com in our article "Tit for Tat" may require Indonesian visitors to apply for tourist visa of a much shorter period than the current sixty days. Additionally, a US$50 fee per visitor is also being considered.

Poll Results

When readers were asked: "Would such a visa application process and a visa fee system significantly deter you from including Indonesia in an overseas holiday?" - more than 92% of the respondents indicated the proposed changes would have a negative impact on their decision to visit the country.

Some of the comments from the polls respondents are summarized in the linked article "We Get Mail."