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Australian
Tourists Increase
Australian
tourists are still visiting Bali despite
‘travel warnings issued earlier by
the government of the Kangaroo Country.
The Australia – Bali flight with Garuda
Indonesian Airways has shown a rush in visit
to Bali recently. “Our December’s
load factor en route Australia – Bali
was more than 80%, while that of January
is more than 70%. March’s data shows
a slight decrease due to low season, but
the rate remains above 50%,” Iriansyah
Antemas, GIA’s General Manager for
the Australian area of New South Wales and
Canberra, said Wednesday (19 March 2003)
in Sanur.
All Garuda’s general managers responsible
for regions of Australia and New Zealand
held a two-day meeting on 18-19 March 2003
to discuss the marketing strategy in The
Sanur Beach Hotel. Present at the meeting
were 16 participants consisting of leading
personalities and sales managers coming
from both South-Pacific countries. Executives
of Japan’s Garuda concurrently also
held a similar meeting in The Sanur Beach
Hotel.
Garuda Indonesia Airways has decreased its
air capacity up to 30%. Nevertheless, the
airline gradually increases its capacity
again in responding to the growth of demand
to travel to Indonesia, especially to Bali.
“We are to boost our capacity up to
15% by 01 April. If there is an improvement
in business conditions, we shall apply an
increment of an additional 15% to return
to the former normal level of 30%,”
said Iriansyah, who was flanked by Herry
Setiawan, Garuda’s General Manager
of Queensland.
(dap)
Mice
- Bringing Hope for A Recovery
The
tourism recovery process of Bali post-bombing
is taking rather longer than expected. In
addition, it must be supported with a very
effective promotion strategy in order to
gain back the trust from the tourism market
that Bali remains a suitable destination.
One market considered very potential and
supportive to the recovery is MICE (Meeting,
Incentives, Conference and Exhibition) since
it not only contributes in financing but
also helps to rebuild the image of the place.
This was said by Managing Director, PT.
Pacific World Nusantara, IB Lolec when he
was meeting with members of The Extra Mile
Company (EMC) from the entire Asia Pacific
at a dinner at Ketewel beach recently. Besides
the EMC group, IB Lolec’s side also
invited 90 travel agent organizers from
some airlines in Australia. The group of
travel agents also took the chance to see
the direct impact of the bomb blast on the
students of SD 3 Ketewel, Elementary School
3 Ketewel.
At the school, the group of travel agents
organised some games and distributed some
school equipment to the students. According
to Mr. Lolec, the visit from those travel
agents organizers was to express foreigner’s
sympathy about the tragedy and also to verify
whether Bali is still fascinating to visit.
Mr. Lolec added that the visits of these
guests, who are travel organizers back at
home, will be a significant contribution.
“It is from these people that the clear
present situation of Bali may be heard,
thus future visitors will not hesitate to
worry about the comfort or security of Bali.
Beside the direct arrival of guest, Mr.
Lolec said that in the future, Bali is forseen
to recover sooner than estimated. This can
be seen from the significant increase in
tourists arrivals. Just after the bomb we
have as many as one thousand, he added.
One thing to be proud of is that Australian
Airline, an airline company under Qantas
wings, has scheduled fkights to Bali in
July 2003 despite the travel warning sugested
by the Australian Goberment. This proves
that the Australian are determined to come
to Bali.
Meanwhile the travel group leader, Mr Paus
Casey, said that apart from to verify the
situation in BAli, they alsi wanted to see
the direct impact of blast. Mr Casey was
optimidtic that it would not be long before
the Australians see Bali as they always
did in the earlier days before the blast
for there has always been a strong bond
with the island. A similar optimistic tone
was also extremelu expressed by the member
of the EMC group at the dinner at Villa
Ketewel. They were pleased to see the present
situation in BAli today. As trabel agents
organizers, the also viewed Bali as a destination
remaining potential not only for its beautiful
nature and culture, but alsi for its security.
(Poll)
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Hindu Balinese community will celebrate
the day preceding Nyepi Holy Day on 1 April.
People will parade through the streets while
cheerfully carrying big idols known as ogoh-ogoh.
Some of the members will also carry a torch
to keep the parade in high spirits on the
day called ngrupuk.
Unlike last year’s event, the ogoh-ogoh
parade’s organizers are working hard
to maintain security by allowing a limited
amount of parade groups to march through
the center of Denpasar to other villages
around this area. The Bendesa Adat or traditional
chief of Denpasar City, Drs. I Ketut Suda
Sudira informed Bali Travel News of this
recently.
This year the route of the parade remains
the same as that of last year. The parade
participants are to start marching at Puputan
Badung Plain following the announcement
of some directors and the decoration of
participants’ numbers. After starting
the walk, participants go east of the plain,
then turn left while marching on Jalan Melati
to go through respectively Banjar Tensiat
(Jalan Patimura), Banjar Tampak Gangsul,
Wangaya Kaja, Banjar Balun, Banjar Gerenceng,
Jalan Thamrin (in front of Pemecutan Palace),
and Jalan Hasanuddin at the end of the whole
route of the parade, where participants
disperse. At the end of the ogoh-ogoh parade
you can see the burning of the ogoh-ogoh
idols in Badung Graveyard or in cemeteries
found in participants’ villages.
In keeping traffic under control, the Bendesa
Adat of Denpasar has to involve people from
communication offices, police, pecalang
(traditional security members of Desa Adat
Traditional Village) and lurah the chiefs
of autonomous villages. Meanwhile, the carriers
of ogoh-ogoh idols have to observe some
regulations relating to prohibition of drinking
alcohol, forward movement in orders in line
with participants’ numbers, prohibition
of overtaking other groups of parades, and
prohibition of going out of their group.
“The ogoh-ogoh parade will be juried
from several aspects mainly of the idols’
forms, participants’ creativity and
their compactness. This is for the sake
of more order, greater security and better
condition favorable to these activities
in welcoming Nyepi celebrations,” Suda
Sugira told BTN
Every banjar community shall finance their
own ogoh-ogoh preparation, but funding it
through a collection of money by forceful
contribution is prohibited. (sana)
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