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Last month, the Bali Tourism Board issued a press release
declaring what everybody on the small holiday island was desperately
waiting to hear.
"All indicators are that Bali's tourism industry is making steps
towards a sure and certain recovery," it stated.
If this year's early travel figures are anything to go by, this view is
close to the mark. In April this year, 103,866 foreign tourists arrived
Bali, which was down by just more than 10 per cent on the figure from
the corresponding period in 2005.
Considering that after the 2002 attacks, tourist arrivals to Bali did
not normalize until mid-2004, locals may well have cause to celebrate.
But despite the self-congratulatory press releases, there remains one
group of people that the Balinese have yet to convince. They can be
found in travel agencies throughout Australia.
Tony Foster, who operates a Harvey World Travel franchise in Hobart,
Tasmania, led a well-publicized campaign in May last year to stop
promoting Bali as a holiday destination as a form of "personal protest".
The cause of his dissent? Foster said he had a "gut feeling" that
Schapelle Corby, an Australian tourist arrested in Bali for possession
of 4.1 kilograms of marijuana, was not being given a "fair go" by
Indonesian courts.
Within a week, an Australian travel industry journal surveyed 168 local
agents and found that 68 percent of them had also stopped promoting
Bali.
The Schapelle Corby saga -- coupled with the October terrorist bombing
and subsequent drug trials of Australian Michelle Leslie and of nine
other Australians nicknamed the "Bali Nine" -- has had an effect on
many Australians, many of whom have now decided not to return to Bali.
The tourist data from April show that, while the overall tourist
figures were strong, arrivals from Australia, Bali's second-largest
tourist market, have dropped by 45 percent, according to year-on-year
statistics from Bali Tourism Board.
The impact from Australia was masked by an unusual increase in visitors
from Japan and Taiwan, which posted a staggering increase of more than
50 percent.
More than a year on from his initial campaign, Foster said he still
refused to promote Bali to his clients.
"I don't consider it a safe place to have to send anyone," he told The
Jakarta Post. "No one ever asks for it anyway. People just don't ask
for Bali at the moment."
"I think Bali has, at least for me from where I am, just completely
gone off the agenda for people."
Perhaps the most telling statistic is that, despite the lackluster
showing in Bali, the overall number of tourists leaving Australia has
been steadily increasing since January.
The fastest growing destination for Australians is one of Indonesia's
closest neighbors and competitors: Thailand. In the past year, the
country has seen a rise of more than 49 percent in Australian tourists.
"There's no doubt that Phuket, Koh Samui, places like that have taken
over," Foster said. "For a short while Fiji was quite popular. But Fiji
is also reasonably expensive."
"The people that were probably going to Bali in years gone by, now I've
found are going to Thailand and Malaysia, which offer competitive
prices. There's no doubt that they're the ones that have come out the
winner in it all."
"Phuket for example, was one of those places hardest hit by the
tsunami," he said. "But people have told me that it's a far better
place now than it was before. I just think it's going to be a long time
for Bali, before it comes back into favor."
With confidence returning to vital markets in East Asia, the big
challenge now for Bali's tourism industry will be to regain the
confidence of tourists in Australia.
But there are already some indicators that the task is not going to be
easy. Thailand has this year launched its expensive "Grand Invitation"
advertising campaign, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the ascension
to the throne of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The advertisements have already been seen extensively around the
region, including Australia.
Increased competition between airlines in the region also means that
Bali has lost its monopoly as the cheap destination for Australian
tourists.
Last week, budget airline operator Jetstar announced flights from
Sydney to Bali for A$169 (about Rp 1.16 million). Thailand was not far
behind, with flights to Phuket being offered for A$199.
But where there is danger there is also opportunity, and increased
competition among airline operators in Australia will undoubtedly lead
to a rise in the number of tourists for all major destinations,
including Bali.
The response to Jetstar's offer has so far been impressive, with
reports of its computer system crashing due to overwhelming demand.
Bali's travel operators haven't been waiting passively, either. In
June, the major Bali operators attended the Asia Pacific Incentives and
Meeting Expo in Melbourne, where they came face to face with the
Australian market.
Bali Discovery Tours president director John Daniels said it was
inevitable that Bali would return to its former place in the minds of
Australian tourists.
"The cultural and historical connections between Bali and Australia are
both extensive and intensive which, together with the undeniable
attractions of the island to Australian travelers, suggest that
Australian arrival figures will continue to improve each month," he said.
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