0 Govt lacks commitment to boost tourism

Both the central and provincial governments lack the commitment to develop tourism in Bali, people in the industry have concluded. IB Ngurah Wijaya, chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI), shared with Bali Daily on Tuesday that the role of the governments was only limited to issuing policies, no more than that. “Unfortunately, there were no follow up actions initiated by the governments after issuing those policies,” complained Wijaya. 

He stressed that the development of tourist-related industries actually relied on the governments’ support and commitment. Citing an example, air transportation plays a crucial role in supporting the country’s tourism. However, the central government, in this case the Transportation Ministry, is currently implementing a limited service for international airlines that ply direct routes from their countries of origin to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban, Bali. 

The government’s classic reason is to keep the opportunity open for local and national airlines to grow. “The facts show the reverse result. Not many national airlines have the capability to expand their routes to international destinations due to limited funding, limited air fleets, human resources and many other factors,” said Wijaya. Limited international services have closed the door to many tourists wishing to come to Bali and other parts of Indonesia, he added. 

“Some international airlines, such as Singapore Airlines [SQ], have proposed opening direct flights to Bali and other airports in Indonesia. SQ has only two direct flights plying the Singapore-Bali route. The company actually proposed adding a service up to seven times a day. The more services available, the more people come to the island,” he explained. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals from Europe and the US have been quite low because of limited direct flights. 

“Those tourists have to transit first in Singapore or in Malaysia to reach Bali,” he said. Such unfavorable policies were different from those applied by the governments of Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. “Those countries have grown as tourist hubs for the Southeast Asian region, while Indonesia is lagging behind,” he said. Asked about promotional activities, Wijaya elaborated that the lack of commitment from the provincial administration was clearly seen from its budget allocation this year. 

According to IB Kade Subhiksu, head of the provincial tourism office, the administration is now slashing its funds for tourism promotion to only Rp 1.1 billion (US$114,000) in 2013, as compared to Rp 2.3 billion in 2012, and Rp 2.5 billion in the previous year. “The administration is currently focusing on various poverty eradication programs and the coming gubernatorial election in May,” Subhiksu explained. In addition to the shortage of funding, Indonesia in general is not creative and innovative in packaging its tourism promotions. 

“We tend to replicate tourism promotion styles ala Thailand and Singapore,” he lamented. Wijaya was also concerned over the delay of the establishment of the provincial tourism board, as required by the tourism law. Ketut Ardana, chairman of the Indonesian Tours and Travels Association (ASITA), has also stated that the governments, especially the Bali administration, should not take it for granted that Bali is already renowned as an international tourist destination. 

“Bali should continue making creative and innovative promotions worldwide if it does not want to be left behind by other emerging destinations in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, not to mention Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia,” Ardana said. Tjok Raka Darmawan, head of Badung tourism office, explained that Badung regency had submitted Rp 180 billion in funds taken from the regency’s hotel and restaurant tax revenues to the provincial government. 

“That funding is aimed at improving tourism development in Bali’s mayoralty and six regencies, and the promotion of Bali in the international tourism market,” Darmawan noted. Badung is the richest regency in Bali, gaining its revenue mostly from tourism and the hospitality industry.

source : bali daily