Media helped Indonesia’s tourism: official

SunStar

THE media has played a key role in the recovery of Indonesia’s tourism sector that experienced a decline following the Bali bombings and the natural disasters that occurred in the country, its tourism minister said. 

Jero Wacik, Minister for Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, reminded tourism stakeholders to maintain a good relationship with the media both in good and bad times during a session in the sixth United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) International Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa. 

Wacik said the availability of sophisticated information technology enables media to disseminate news immediately.

Indonesia suffered from the bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005, the tsunami tragedy in Pangandaran as well as a major earthquake in Yogyakarta, both in 2006. 

Wacik said that media--broadcast, print and electronic--desires to protect consumers who plan to take trips and encourages tour operators to be more selective and strategic in their promotions and sales of tour packages during a crisis or a tragedy. 

Wacik recalled that when Indonesia experienced the Bali bombings, the government immediately put up a media center with the help of a professional public relations company near the area of the disaster for faster and accurate channeling of information. 

Precise 

He advised tourism officers to provide the media with precise information that includes the exact geographical site of the blow and present other areas that were not affected. 

Wacik also told them to allow high-level government officials and reliable industry sources to talk to the media frequently through the established media center, short messaging service, website or e-mail. 

Other ways to protect tourism promotion efforts would be putting up a website with regular updates on the repair of infrastructure, improvement of security systems and humanitarian activities as well as a familiarization tour for the press and tour operators to show to them the recovery of the tragedy site and the unaffected attractions. 

As a result, with the help of media and other stakeholders, Wacik said that the country managed to restore the image of Indonesia to the global tourist market. 

From five million tourists in 2002, 4.9 million tourists in 2005, and 4.8 million tourists in 2006, the country managed to increase its international visitor arrivals by 13 percent or 5.5 million in 2007. Indonesia is targeting seven million tourists in 2008 and eight million in 2009. (NRC)