Travel giant Thomas Cook fails to find private funds to avert collapse: source

Yahoo – AFP, 21 September 2019

In urgent need of more cash

Iconic British travel firm Thomas Cook has failed to find further private investment to stave off collapse and is now relying on an unlikely government bailout, a source close the matter told AFP on Saturday.

The operator said Friday that it needed £200 million ($250 million, 227 million euros) -- in addition to the £900-million rescue deal secured last month -- or else face administration, which could potentially trigger Britain's largest repatriation since World War II.

A source close to the negotiations told AFP the company had failed to find the £200 million from private investors and would collapse unless the government intervened.

But ministers are unlikely to step in due to worries about the pioneering operator's longer-term viability, the Times reported on Saturday, leaving it on the brink of collapse and stranding up to 150,000 British holidaymakers abroad.

"We will know by tomorrow if agreement is reached," the source told AFP.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association, which represents workers at the company, called on the government to rescue the firm.

"It is incumbent upon the government to act if required and save this iconic cornerstone of the British high street and the thousands of jobs that go with it," said TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes.

"The company must be rescued no matter what."

Two years ago, the collapse of Monarch Airlines prompted the British government to take emergency action to return 110,000 stranded passengers, costing taxpayers some £60 million on hiring planes.

The government at the time described it as Britain's "biggest-ever peacetime repatriation".

Thousands of workers could also lose their jobs, with the 178-year-old company employing about 22,000 staff worldwide, including 9,000 in Britain.

Chinese peer Fosun, which was already the biggest shareholder in Thomas Cook, agreed last month to inject £450 million into the business.

In return, the Hong Kong-listed conglomerate acquired a 75-percent stake in Thomas Cook's tour operating division and 25-percent of its airline unit.

Creditors and banks agreed to inject another £450 million under the recapitalisation plan announced in August, converting their debt in exchange for a 75-percent stake in the airline and 25 percent of the tour operating unit.

Thomas Cook in May revealed that first-half losses widened on a major write-down, caused in part by Brexit uncertainty that delayed summer holiday bookings. The group, which has around 600 stores across the UK, has also come under pressure from fierce online competition.

#UPDATE British travel firm #ThomasCook collapsed into bankruptcy on Monday, leaving some 600,000 holidaymakers stranded and sparking the UK's biggest repatriation since World War II https://t.co/YTp8hR58Aj By @benperry28 pic.twitter.com/OnAt5onUZ1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 23 september 2019

Bangka Belitung Embarks on New Campaign to Attract Foreign Tourists

Jakarta Globe, April 03, 2017

A beach at Burung Belitung Island in Bangka Belitung province. Local tourism
agencies have been ramping up campaigns to attract foreign tourists to the
province in recent months. (Antara Photo/Teresia May)

Jakarta. Travel agencies from neighboring Singapore and Malaysia will send representatives to a series of events next month to promote tourism to the Bangka Belitung Islands.

The Pelangi Travel Mart 2017 will be held on May 9-12 and is being organized by Bangka Belitung regional representatives of the Association of Indonesian Tourism (ASPPI).

"Pelangi Travel Mart will host 50 sellers and 100 buyers and has booked 70 participants for the event so far. We are aiming to book local stakeholders, including hotels, souvenir shops and restaurants," ASPPI Bangka Belitung director, Agus Pahlevi, said on Saturday (01/04).

"If there are no hurdles, other neighboring countries will also participate in the event to offer travel packages to Bangka Belitung."

Aside from its hard selling strategy, the event's organizer plans to hold other activities to promote Bangka Belitung. The Travel Mart will be hosted on Lepar Island, in the central Bangka city of Namang and in the provincial capital of Pangkalpinang.

"We will emphasize promoting maritime tourism, but we are generally encouraging potential visitors to enrich themselves in Bangka Belitung's local cultural," Agus said.

"From Lepar Island, tourists are able to travel to surrounding islands, including to Kelapan and Mercusuar, and to Tukam village, a local town known for its industrious recycling program," Agus said.

Pelangi Travel Mart will also be supported by the Ministry of Tourism, the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI) and the Indonesian Tourist Guide Association (HPI).

Esthy Reko Astuti, the deputy minister for tourism marketing, said the upcoming events are an example of recent government efforts to attract more foreign visitors to the country.

"Tourists visiting Indonesia can contribute to the country's economic strength as their expenses determine our foreign exchange earnings," Esthy said. "Local tourism agencies, who are dominated by young people, have been shrewd enough to introduce the Bangka Belitung Islands to foreign tourists, a relatively unfamiliar destination."

"Agencies have been aggressively promoting tourism packages on social media," she said.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the event is crucial to building up the country's tourism industry.

"I would suggest local tourism agents join the Indonesia Tourism Xchange [ITX] – a digital marketplace endorsed by Tourism Ministry – to enable agents to promote their business through a streamlined online platform," Arief said.

During a National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas), Arief also said that conventional travel agents are facing new challenges to adapt to an increasing online marketplace. According to ministry data, at least 70 percent of tourists book their trips on the web.

Travel firms to brief holidaymakers on their trip’s environmental footprint

DutchNews, April 12, 2016

A Fokker 70 takes off from Schiphol
airport. Photo jvanderwolf via
Depositphotos

Dutch travel firms are to start informing holidaymakers how much environmental damage their trip is doing by listing ‘holiday footprints’ in brochures and on websites, travel sector organisation ANVR says in Tuesday’s Volkskrant. 

‘We aim to eventually allow consumers to calculate their own holiday footprint via an app or website,’ ANVR spokesman Gerben Hardeman told the paper. ‘We are still a long way off that. But we are now working with a group of travel firms to determine how we can best inform consumers about what we know already.’ 

By helping consumers to realise the impact of their holiday on the environment, holidaymakers can ‘make a responsible choice’, he said. 

Currently, airline passengers can pay extra to offset the cost to the climate of their journey. The amounts vary from €10 to €100, depending on the way the potential damage is calculated by different airlines. 

The system used by the ANVR has been developed by researchers at several hbo colleges and 10 travel firms. It is based on confidential information from airline manufacturers, airlines themselves and the hotel website Booking.com.

German travel operator cancels Israel tours over violence

Yahoo – AFP, 10 July 2014

The logo of German tourism group TUI, seen at Berlin's Tegel Airport
on February 4, 2011. (AFP File)

Germany's biggest travel group, TUI, said Thursday it had called off all tours through Israel until the end of the month over the recent eruption of violence in the region.

"TUI Germany is reacting to the current situation in Israel and has cancelled all tours in the country until July 31 inclusive," the company said in a statement.

"Holidaymakers who have booked a TUI tour through Israel in the next three weeks will be contacted."

The company said it would accept no new bookings for Israel with departure dates in the next three weeks.

Clients who had planned package trips or reserved hotel rooms in Israel that begin before the end of the month would be informed of the German foreign ministry's current travel advisory for the country and asked to reconsider their travel plans, it said.

Such travellers "can postpone or change their travel plans at no extra charge," the company said.

Current German foreign ministry travel advisory notes there have been "massive rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip in recent days," adding that the Tel Aviv region had also been targeted.

"The Israeli forces have started a military operation to stop such attacks. (But) one must assume the attacks will continue," it said.

No Israelis have been reported dead in the latest violence, but Hamas has launched waves of rockets across central Israel.

The overall number of Gazans killed since Israel on Tuesday launched Operation Protective Edge to halt cross-border rocket fire reached 76 on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed even tougher action against Hamas, despite growing international calls for a ceasefire in the worst confrontation in Gaza since 2012.

Related Articles:

UEFA Halts European Club Matches in Israel

World Cup fans killed as Israel raid hits Gaza cafe

Trendy Tel Aviv counts the cost of Gaza rocket attacks

Jokowi Calls on Indonesia to Pray for Palestine

Israelis and Palestinians trade accusations as Ban appeals for ceasefire

Obama urges restraint in clash between Israel and Hamas

China urges Palestine, Israel to cease fire

Taiwan promotes indigenous culture in China

Want China Times, Chen Chia-lun and Staff Reporter 2014-07-07

Indigenous people perform during a Harvest Festival in Kaohsiung.
(Photo/Liu Yo-ting)

Taiwan's Council of Indigenous People (CIP) has urged Chinese travel agencies to clearly distinguish between tourist performances done by indigenous people and their private lives so that their privacy will not be invaded, reports our sister newspaper China Times.

Members of the CIP made the appeal to travel agencies in Beijing during a trip in China to promote travel in Taiwan.

Chen Cheng-chia, a CIP deputy minister, said that in the past Chinese tourists would only attend indigenous performances in Taiwan's major cities instead of visiting the source of their culture. Chen said there are 16 indigenous tribes in Taiwan, and their culture is the gem of cross-strait tourism. Traditional aboriginal ceremonies attract large amounts of visitors each year.

Chang Chen-yue, an indigenous Taiwanese rock musician, recently wrote on his Facebook page, "If you respect indigenous people, don't believe in governmental promotions. The Harvest Festivals are very important parts of our tradition. How could it become a tourist event?"

A member of the CIP delegation to Beijing said people need not worry too much about what Chang said, because aboriginal performers do make a difference between what is performance, and what is the real ceremony that they organize to thank divinities for their harvest. According to that member, the 12 tourist villages are experienced in what they are doing, and tourists are not likely to disturb much of their private lives.

China desperate to improve image of its overseas tourists

Want China Times, Xinhua and Staff Reporter 2014-05-03

Tourists pass the safety check at the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum
in Beijing, May 1. (Photo/CNS)

With China on holiday for International Workers Day, tourist agency managers and sociologists want the country's tourists to learn to avoid embarrassing behavior.

Li Zhongguang of the China Tourism Academy believes it is time for everyone to have a global vision and think about the effects of their behavior on the world.

When the economy was still planned, travel abroad was a luxury and subject to strict government scrutiny. The chosen few who were endorsed to see the outside world were either highly educated or very successful. These people were humble in demeanor and acutely aware what were proper ways of behaving in foreign countries, Li said.

Today, lots of Chinese tourists can afford a trip overseas but their knowledge remains deficient and many are unaware, or claim to be unaware, that some of their habits are unacceptable to the locals they encounter, he said. "Chinese travelers abroad are seen as loud, rude, self-centered and lacking in self-discipline," Li said.

Zha Qizhi, deputy chief of the Sanqing Mountain resort in Jiangxi province, agrees. Tourists don't misbehave on purpose but are just unaware that their behavior is unacceptable in other countries. "Tourists traveling abroad for the first time lack cross-cultural communication skills. They assume things tolerated in China are also acceptable in other countries," Zha said.

Talking loudly in public spaces, spitting in the streets, ignoring lines and carving names on ancient monuments are just as improper in China as anywhere else, but people seem to get away with it here, he said. When you do that kind of thing in a foreign country, it is completely unacceptable.

Since the government wants to improve China's soft power and cultivate a cultured and friendly national image, Chinese tourists have become a laughing stock around the world, symbolic of the whole country, Zha added. "Chinese people are polite, hospital and thoughtful hosts, and now they need to learn to be good guests," he said.

Mass outbound tourism is still new in China. It was not until 1999 when the country enforced a seven-day National Day holiday that average members of the public started traveling on a large scale.

The purpose of enforcing the holiday was to boost tourism and consumption. Few people at that time expected the kind of engagement that the average Chinese person has with the outside world now, said Li Zhongguang.

China now has 150 countries and regions as its outbound tourism destinations. In 2013, nearly 100 million overseas trips were made. In 2014, 110 million Chinese tourist are expected to travel abroad.

With the mocking publicity given to inappropriate behavior by tourists abroad, the government and legislators are all too aware of the importance of teaching the public a lesson in manners.

Last October, the country's first tourism law came into effect, requiring tourists to observe public order and respect local cultures. In April, the China National Tourism Administration and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce jointly issued an upgraded model contract in accordance with the new tourism law. The contract stipulates for the first time that travel agencies have the right to terminate contracts if tourists are involved in illegal activities or break social ethics, no matter whether at home or abroad.

Wang Ming, manager of Jiahua Cultural International Travel Agency, welcomes the new contracts. "Tighter legislation and contracts show resolve to improve tourists' behavior but implementation is essential," he said.

Wang believes that news reports and criticism of uncivilized behavior are necessary for tourists to reflect upon their habits. "I think many more tourists have realized that the rest of the world is largely depending on them to get to know China, and they are changing," he said.

"I believe with more Chinese getting in touch with a foreign culture through travel, positive change will happen, but changing people's behavior is not an easy task," Li Zhongguang said.

The visiting mainland couple who quarreled with

 Hong Kong passersby who surrounded and

 photographed them for letting their daughter

urinate on the street. (Photo/CFP)

Related Articles:

Photo bomb: Hong Kongers declare war on mainland tourists peeing

Hi cutie! Meeting baby pandas in China

Tourism operators hail common visa plan

Antara News, Thu, November 17 2011

Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - Tourism operators in the Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali have hailed a plan to introduce a common visa within countries grouped in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"The implementation of the common visa within the region will benefit tourism industry operators," Chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association Ngurah Wijaya said here on Thursday.

He said the imposition of the common visa would enable a person to enter all countries in the region with a visa issued by one of the countries.

"Yet, the imposition of a common visa will correct slightly the growth in the use of visa on arrival," he said.

But Wijaya is of the view that the implementation of the common visa would benefit the tourism sector in Indonesia, particularly the Island of gods, Bali.

The government set 2.7 million foreign tourist arrivals in Bali of its national foreign tourist arrival target of 6.7 million in 2011.

He said that Bali`s tourism industry businesses said they supported the common visa plan. Moreover, many countries in the region, including Indonesia, now has open air transportation access which directly connect big cities in the region.

"There have been 17 main gates which connect big cities in ASEAN," he said.

In the meantime, Secretary General of the Indonesia Restaurant and Hotel Association (IRHA) for Bali Perry Markus said that the reduction of income from the visa on arrival as a result of the common visa policy could be solved with a multiple effect that would be created by the increasing number of visitors.

"We will maximize it," Perry said.

He said that the imposition of the common visa would increase boost the development of creative industry which has the potential to support the tourism industry.

The value of Bali`s creative industrial product exports in August 2011 reached US$51.94 million, up 8.85 percent from the previous month.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Iceland ash cloud chokes Asian airports

Reuters, Saeed Azhar, SINGAPORE. Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:08am EDT

Flights across Europe were cancelled because of a cloud of ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. (Photograph: David Jones/PA) - guardian.co.uk

(Reuters) - The air travel chaos caused by a huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano has blown through to Asia, with hotels from Beijing to Singapore straining to accommodate thousands of stranded passengers.

Dozens of Europe-bound flights were canceled from Sydney to Tokyo and New Delhi, costing airlines millions of dollars in lost revenues and mounting hotel bills as distraught passengers braced for enforced stopovers of more than a week in Asia.

In Singapore, a major transit route for Europe-bound flights, 22 flights were canceled on early Saturday, Ivan Tan a spokesman for Changi Airport told Reuters, with more than 40 canceled since the disruption began.

"We don't know where to stay," said Dirk Kronewald, a German citizen. "Singapore hotels are full."

Singapore Airlines' said they were giving priority to elderly passengers and those with young children for hotel accommodation, but right now there were some shortages in Singapore hotels.

The airline was paying for two nights of hotel accommodation for affected passengers, for as much as S$300 per room a night, according to a pamphlet being distributed to passengers.

Mirjam, a Dutch national who was queuing at an airline counter with her husband Jules Vandamme and two dozen passengers, said the couple had to sleep at the airport late on Wednesday night before shifting to the nearby Crowne Hotel.

"One thousand people had to spend the night in the transit area" airline officials had told her, she said.

NO MORE NEW BOOKINGS

Cathay Pacific had canceled 29 flights so far since Thursday and said it would not be accepting new bookings to London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam for next the new few days.

"We encourage passengers not to go to the airport. For some passengers, who have already checked in, we have provided accommodation," a Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said.

"So far the situation seems to be OK. It's a global issue so passengers seems to be understanding," she added.

At least 70 flights out of India, most of them headed for various European destinations were canceled on Friday and authorities said they are staring at similar cancellations at the weekend as volcanic ash continued to cover many parts of Europe.

"We might be here for another week. We don't know," a tourist told Times Now news channel in Mumbai airport on Saturday.

Aviation industry officials reported a loss of at least $1 billion in revenues due to cancellation of flights to Europe, an AAI official told Reuters.

Chinese newspapers reported long lines at Beijing airport as passengers lined up to change their tickets, and airlines struggled to find enough hotel rooms for stranded customers.

"I will just go and try my luck," Ka Ka, a young local woman and office worker, who was scheduled to board a flight to Frankfurt to begin a long-planned European trip, told the Shanghai Daily in China.

"It's hard to imagine something like this, taking place thousands of miles away from your place, could actually disrupt your life and plans," she said.

Some foreign tourists had more pressing problems.

"Accommodation is an issue, but what's worse is that in a few days this group's visas will have expired," a guide for a group of Russian visitors told the newspaper. "They risk having to stay here illegally. I don't know what to do."

(Additional reporting by Harry Suhartono in Singapore, Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Jacqueline Wong in Shanghai, Bappa Majumdar in New Dehli; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Smoke billows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokull April 14, 2010. (Credit: Reuters/Ingolfur Juliusson

Singapore Joins Outcry at Indonesian Tourist Visa Changes

Jakarta Globe, Fidelis E. Satriastanti, February 15, 2010

A senior immigration department official said on Sunday that it would re-evaluate the government’s decision in January to scrap the one-week tourist visa, following an outcry by foreign tour agents who market packages for Batam and Bintan islands.

On January 25, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights announced that the $10 visa on arrival for foreigners staying in Indonesia for a week or less would no longer be issued, and immigration officials would only issue a 30-day visa for $25.

But the issue has sparked such controversy in Singapore that on Sunday the Straits Times reported it was causing panic among travel agents there, and in Taiwan, who had already sold short-stay packages to Batam and Bintan islands in Riau and would have to pay the difference in price out of their own pockets.

“We’ve heard [a rumor] about a contract between Riau Governor [Ismeth Abdullah] and Singapore to pay only $10 for a visa on arrival, but this is a national policy and other areas such as Bali and Manado don’t seem to be bothered with this,” said Maroloan Barimbing, spokesman for the Justice Ministry’s Directorate General of Immigration.

“They even consider it to be a great opportunity for tourists to explore more sites in the country.”

Maroloan said the Directorate General for Immigration would now spend up to three months comparing arrival figures in Batam and Bintan for Singaporeans visiting Indonesia, expatriates working in Singapore coming to visit and foreign tourists stopping by for one or two days before continuing on to Singapore.

He said one solution for frequent visitors would be to buy a $100 multiple-entry tourist visa, which is already available.

Asad Shiraz, director of marketing for Bintan Resorts, who is based in Singapore, told the Straits Times that last year 90 percent of its 410,000 guests stayed less than a week and used the $10 visa.

Andrew Dixon, an owner of the Niko Island Resort off Bintan, told the Straits Times that many foreign visitors to Riau Islands only went there for a day to play golf. “It will increase the cost of a visit for a family of four by $60,” he said. “The weekend travel market is already price sensitive as it competes with Malaysia.

The Justice Ministry claimed scrapping the 7-day visa would encourage tourists to stay longer and curb graft among immigration officials who were issuing 7-day visas when asked for 30-day visas and pocketing the difference.

But tourism analysts decried the move, saying it would hurt visitor numbers, and even the Ministry of Culture and Tourism took the unusual step of publicly saying it would try to make immigration officials reconsider.

On Sunday, however, Surya Dharma, a Tourism Ministry spokesman, took a softer line, calling the reaction from tour operators and the Riau Islands government a “temporary shock.”

“This is a national policy, but, if we’re losing tourists from this policy, then the government will try to find a solution to work it out,” he said, “either reviewing the policy or making additional policies.”

But the Straits Times quoted an immigration official as saying that any reversion to 7-day visas would be only for up to a few months to ease the shock of their withdrawal.

Bali Governor Sends Letters Flagging Airport Closure For Nyepi

Jakarta Globe, February 01, 2010

Balinese people carry statues during the " Melasti" purification ceremony at Padanggalak beach, in Sanur, Bali, which occurs before Nyepi. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika has sent letters to four ministers in relation to the closure of the island’s Ngurah Rai International Airport and four boat ports for the Nyepi holiday, which will fall on March 16, in order to ensure there is no confusion on the Saka New Year.

“The letter, dated December 29 was sent to the communications minister, foreign minister, home affairs minister and information technology minister,” the head of Bali’s communications and transport agency, I Made Santha, said in Denpasar on Monday.

Information about the airport and port closures had already been circulated to all airlines and sea transportation companies in Indonesia and overseas, as well as tourist offices, government and private agencies, Pastika wrote.

“All travel agencies and those marketing tour packages overseas need to spread knowledge of the meaning and significance of the Nyepi holy day for Hindus,” Made Santha said.

The Day of Silence for Nyepi will begin at 6 a.m. on March 16 and lasts for 24 hours. The Balinese Hindu ritual proscribes complete quiet and puts prohibitions on worldly distractions such as work, travel, entertainment. Tourists are advised not to leave their hotels during the day.

Antara

News focus: Sail Banda 2010 supported by many parties

Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 16:06 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The upcoming international marine event "Sail Banda 2010" in Maluku, scheduled from July to August, has gained support from various parties.

Support to make the event a success came among others from Maluku-born people in the Netherlands, Bank Indonesia, as well as air and sea transportation agencies.

In the Netherlands, Maluku-born people are ready to support the Sail Banda 2010 by intensively promoting it in European countries, a Maluku tourism official said.

"At least 350 Moluccans in the Netherlands have expressed their readiness to intensively promote the coming event in Holland and other European countries," head of Maluku`s Culture and Tourism Office, Florence Sahusilawane, said in Ambon on Wednesday.

Florence said the expatriate Maluku people had expressed their readiness to her when she attended the Dutch tourism event, "Vakantiebeurs" in Utrecht, the Netherlands, last January 12-17, 2010.

"The most important thing in their support to Sail Banda 2010 is that they will also come to Maluku along with their relatives, Dutch friends, and other colleagues from Europe for the event scheduled for July to August 2010," she said.

Florence added that she highly appreciated the seriousness of Moluccans in the Netherlands to help make Sail Banda 2010 a success because it would be a strategic event to assure the international community that peace and calm have returned to Maluku after the province was engulfed by a communal conflict from 1999 to 2002.

"We actually want the Netherlands to be the gateway for netting West European tourists who increasingly visit Maluku every year," Florence said.

She was also optimistic about the promotion of Sail Banda in Europe because the Maluku Museum director in the Netherlands, Dr Huib Akihary, had expressed readiness to help promote the event in European countries.

"Therefore, leaflets on Sail Banda in Dutch and English will be spread large and wide in the Netherlands and other European countries," Florence said.

She said the Maluku Culture and Tourism office had been intensively promoting Sail Banda 2010 through brochures, leaflets, both print and electronic media, including its website www.sailbanda.com.

"We have also made use of various events such as the observance of World Peace Day on November 25, 2009 and the election of tourism ambassadors on December 1-6, 2009 to promote Sail Banda 2010," she said.

Besides Maluku-born community in the Netherlands, Bank Indonesia (the central bank) of Ambon branch is to open money changer counters and ATM booths in Banda to support the international marine event.

"Bank Indonesia and a number of banks such as Bank BRI, Bank Central Asia (BCA), and Bank BNI will also provide services for financial transactions in Banda to support the event," Ambon branch Bank Indonesia spokesman Totok Hermianto said in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon on Monday.

Totok admitted that he had discussed the event with the leaders of the banks operating in Ambon and they agreed to open banking service counters in Banda.

"Foreign tourists visiting Banda, as well as the participants of Sail Banda 2010 will find it easy to make financial transactions following the opening of banking service counters in Banda during the international marine event," Totok said.

He expressed hope that the promotion of Sail Banda 2010 would be intensified in order to have a good impact on the improvement of Maluku economic development in the future.

"All public elements should support the event together by making an all out promotion so that it can have a positive impact on regional economic development and the local people`s income," Totok said.

Meanwhile, Transportation Department`s Air Transportation director general Herry Bakti has said his office was ready to support the sailing festival, named Sail Banda 2010, because according to him, inter-department coordination was necessary to support the success of the international event.

"In principle, the Transportation Directorate General is ready to support the event," he has said in Bandaneira, Banda, Maluku.

The most important thing is to prepare reliable telephone and internet infrastructure. This can facilitate communication and telecommunication access so that people would not all gather in Ambon if they want to promote Banda," he said.

Sail Banda, he said, needs to be supported by a maritime armada with the capacity and speed that can sail across 159 miles from Ambon to Bandaneira in at least three to four hours.

Herry was of the view that Banda has under-sea tourism asset as well as a history and culture with particular characteristics. If managed professionally, Banda can attract many tourists.

The national shipping company PT Pelni is also ready to help make the Sail Banda 2010 event a success by putting more ships into service on its route to the Banda Islands in Central Maluku, a spokesman said.

Bachtiar, head of PT Pelni`s Ambon branch office, said in Ambon that the national shipping company felt it bore the moral responsibility to support the international maritime event in Banda.

"We at PT Pelni are ready to help make the event a success," Bachtiar said.

He said the company was currently operating MV Ciremai and MV Kelimutu on its route to Banda in Central Maluku, Tual in Southeast Maluku, and a number of ports in West Papua and Papua.

Asked if the number of ships for Banda would be increased in the runup to Sail Banda 2010, Bachtiar said it was the responsibility of PT Pelni`s head office to decide.

"But because Sail Banda 2010 is an international event, I think there will be a good coordination between the transportation ministry and PT Pelni to increase the number of ships sailing to Banda," Bachtiar said.

Related Articles:

Sail Banda 2010 (official Website)

Most "Sail Banda" activities to take place in Ambon

Maluku`s historical sites being restored for Sail Banda 2010

More articles related to Maluku ....

Private sector blamed for RI’s minimal tourists

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 01/22/2010 7:05 PM

Indonesia blamed domestic travel agencies Friday for contributing to the country’s poor performance in netting international travelers.

The problem with domestic travel agencies was their inability to offer tour packages at international levels, focusing solely on the domestic market, Sapta Nirwandar, the Marketing Director General of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, said in Jakarta.

The ministry targets to net 7 million international tourists in 2010, up from 6.4 million last year. This target is much smaller than the number of tourist arrivals in neighboring Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, which last year attracted 10 million, 15 million and 22 million visitors respectively.

Sapta failed to provide concrete plans to help domestic private players in the industry, such as hotels, travel agents and airlines to improve the tourism business mechanism abroad. (tsy/ipa).

More Training Needed by Indonesia's Tourism Industry

Tourism Ministry Official Calls for Greater Involvement in Training by Indonesia's Tourism Associations.

Bali Discovery Tours

(1/11/2010) The Head of the Manpower Development department at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Putu Laksaguna, thinks Indonesia's tourism associations are not doing everything that they can to enhance the competency of tourism workers, still depending on the government to provide training and education.

Quoted by bisnis.com. Laksaguna said: "For the hotel and restaurant sectors, for example, 2% of the money collected from service charge should be used for training. But, in reality, the association entrusted to provide training from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is limited to doing programs such as 'training for the trainers' courses for 30 people at a time in a single tourism destination."

He continued, saying that if the tourism associations do not become more proactive in enhancing the quality of training programs the workers in the provincial areas of Indonesia will suffer the consequences. Eventually, Putu contends, the facilities of the hotels will outstrip the quality of the workers. Because of this, training for hotel and restaurant front liners is critical.

In 2008 the Ministry of Culture and Tourism commenced "Service Excellence Training" in order to increase understanding and performance and equip trainers with a strong work ethic.

The most recent "training of the trainers" programs were undertaken at tourism schools (STPs) in Bandung, Bali and the Academy of Tourism in Medan, each course followed by 20 teachers. Those conducting this training are experts drawn from tourism practitioners, academics and officials from the National Education Department.

The material covered in the training include opening service, basics of quality, managing perception, communication arts, service standards, service breakdown and recovery, high impact presentation skills, role playing and creating an action plan.

Putu warned that the training provided by the government cannot instantly create perfect employees. Because of this, additional training commitment is needed from tourism associations and provincial governments, particularly in key tourism destinations.

The national tourism official charged with manpower development said another factor impeding the development of labor resources are policies tied to the new-found regional autonomy. In many regions the appointment of the head of the local tourism service are individuals without any basic understanding of tourism.

Throughout the course of 2010 the Department of Culture and Tourism will seek to prepare candidates for tourism positions abroad.

Indonesia to take part in biggest tourism bourse in Netherlands

Antara News, Friday, January 8, 2010 11:25 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will take part in the biggest tourist bourse in the Netherlands, Vakantiebeurs on January 12-17, 2010.

"The Ministry of Culture and Tourism along with the Indonesian embassy in The Hague facilitate 20 tourism industries (hotels and travel agencies) will take part in Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht, the Netherlands," Marketing Director General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Sapta Nirwandar said in Jakarta Thursday.

Sapta who will be leading the Indonesian delegation planned to bring along teams of artists from Maluku, West Sumatera, and East Nusa Tenggara.

They will hold a cultural performance and an Indonesia Night highlighted by singing legend Bob Tutupoli and a fashion show by Oscar Lawalata.

"Indonesia will be the host partner country at Vakantiebeurs 2010, for which the Indonesian delegation will not only occupay the largest pavilion covering 154 m2 at Island Location, but will also have the privilege in occupying 349 m2 at hall 2 (Indonesia Area) for cultural and artistic promotion or non-commercial activities," he said.

The organizers will also give Indonesia a time slot for cultural performances every day during the exhibition prime time of Vakantiebeurs.

"Indonesia`s participation in Vakantiebeurs 2010 is a very important momentum because starting June 1, 2010 Garuda Indonesia vill be flying the Jakarta-Amsterdam route via Dubai every day by Airbus A330-200," Sapta said.

Vakantiebeurs or Holiday Fair is the biggest tourist exhibition in Holland, and also a trade and consumer fair. Last year Vakantiebeurs was joined by 1,630 participants from 160 different countries, and attended by 132,961 visitors.

The Netherlands is an important market for Indonesia`s tourism for the European region. The number of Dutch tourists visiting Indonesia in 2008 reached 141,202, up by 26.21 percent compared to the 111,882 in 2007, while last year the projected number of Dutch tourists coming to Indonesia reached 135,000, and in the January-November 2009 period reached 132,184, up by 6.3 percent, compared to the same period last year.

The market of Dutch tourists is very promising, in which 10 percent or 1.6 million of the 16.7 million Dutch population has a historical bond with Indonesia, while the number of outbound Dutch tourists reached 6 million per year.

The Indonesian delegation to Vakantiebeurs will also provide information, hold awareness campaigns, press conferences, industrial gatherings, hospitality, batik and spa demonstrations, and coffee corners.

Twenty tourist industries taking part in the even are Panorama Destination (Jakarta), Bali Garden Beach Resort, Miracle Batik (Yogyakarta), Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa (Bali), Limbunan Tours and Travel Services (Sulawesi Selatan), Exotic Java Trails (W Java), Aerowisata International (Jakarta), Nikko Bali Resort & Spa , Synergi Ravelino Tours & Travel (North Sumatera, Daya Patal Tour and Travel ((Maluku), Deva Tour & Travel Reizen (Netherlands), Vista Ekspress (Jakarta), Smarag Reizen (Netherlands), Suita Tours and Travel (South Sulawesi), TA/TO of the Netherlands, Nusa Andika Tour and Travel (Bali), Nuansa Bali Tours and Travel (Bali), Trans Borneo Adventure, and Melia Bali (Bali).

Related Articles:

Dutch tourist arrivals in Bali up 22 pct

Vakantiebeurs.nl

Booze Sitting on Docks Has Indonesia's Hospitality Sector in a Spin

The Jakarta Globe, Dian Ariffahmi

The holdup of a consignment of wine and spirits at Tanjung Priok port is causing concern among restaurant and hotel owners, who worry they might be unable to meet demand over the year-end holidays. (JG Photo)

Dozens of containers filled with wine and spirits are being held up by customs at the country’s largest port, causing restaurants and hotels to worry they will be unable to meet the Christmas and New Year holiday demand.

Yanti Sukamdani, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said that shortages of wine and spirits had been occurring since early December.

“Several travel agencies have even canceled tour group visits because we can’t ensure our visitors a steady supply of wine,” she said. “And I do understand that, because wine and spirits are the main symbol of a party.”

Yanti, a part-owner of Central Jakarta’s five-star Sahid Jaya Hotel, said the shortages were not only occurring in Jakarta but also in Bali, Medan, Surabaya and other major cities in the country. In some cases, foreign guests were cancelling their trips when they found out that alcohol was scarce, she said.

Yanti said she did not know what was to blame for the wine and spirits shortages.

According to data from the Ministry of Trade, as of Dec. 7, state-owned PT Sarinah, the country’s sole licensed alcoholic beverage importer, was still 16 percent short of meeting its total quota for this year.

Diah Maulida, the Trade Ministry’s director general for foreign trade, said dozens of containers holding alcoholic beverages were being held at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok port because Sarinah had not paid the import duty on the goods.

This was corroborated by the director general of customs and excise at the Finance Ministry, Anwar Suprijadi. “They have not paid the import duties,” he told the Jakarta Globe, without giving any reasons why.

Sarinah’s president director, Jimmy M Rifai Gani, denied the company had not paid the duties.

“There has been some delay in supplies, but it is not because we have not paid the duties,” he said.

“There were some administrative problems with our paperwork. We are currently waiting for the revised [import] papers to be reissued soon, and I hope by next week all the suspended goods can be released,” Jimmy said.

However, Tutum Rahanta, the managing director of the Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo), suspected corruption was behind the sudden seasonal holdup. “This is a classic problem. At the end of the year, there is often a scarcity of wine and spirits,” he said. “What happens? There has to be something wrong; there could be some game going on.”

Related Article:

More Articles related to Wine and Spirits