Global Crisis Starting To Affect Bali Tourism

Monday, 24 November, 2008 | 17:03 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Denpasar:The impact from the global financial crisis is starting to be felt by the tourism business in Bali. Hotel room cancellations for December have reached 20 percent, according to reports. 

Indonesian - Balinese Hotel and Restaurant Association secretary, Perry Markus, said the industry was worried about the situation which changes from day to day. 

According to Perry, hotel reservations in Bali at the end of the year were almost fully booked before the crisis. 

The cancellations mostly came from Europe, the US, and Australia. Meanwhile cancellations from Asia, like Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan, have not been as many, Perry said. 

Perry hopes that the global financial crisis can soon be dealt with or come to an end soon. "If people are optimistic, they will still go on vacation despite the crisis," he said. 

To anticipate the impact, Perry said, the hotel industry has adopted a clear procedure, among them not firing employees. If the situation worsens, they can reduce the work hours or use a shift system. 

Bali Tourism Service chief, Gde Nurjaya, confirmed Bali may be affected by the global crisis. "Tourists may have to re-schedule their holiday plans," he said. 

However, according to Nurjaya, the situation in December will be relatively secure. It is the first semester of 2009 that they must watch out for. His office will concentrate on doing promotions to loyal customer countries, like Japan, Taiwan, and Australia. 

Nurjaya is optimistic that the target of 1,9 million foreign tourists in Bali in 2008 will be achieved. The data until October showed 1,6 million foreign tourists visiting Bali, which means there has been a 23 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The biggest number of visitors still come from Japan and Australia.

ROFIQI HASAN