Ida Bagus Puja Erawan, S.H.
New Lessons

On April 8th 2003, Ida Bagus Puja Erawan, S.H. was appointed the Head of the Culture and Tourism Body for Buleleng Regency. Embracing his new responsibilities, Puja Erawan, one of the owners of the Matahari Beach Resort and Spa, said that he felt he needed to learn some new lessons, even though he has been working in the tourist industry tourism for such a long time.
He is used to working in tourism and is an expert on Buleleng. However, he frankly admits that he does not have much knowledge about culture even though the body of which he is in charge also manages cultural affairs. According to him, the affairs in Bali are quite complicated since they are directly related to Balinese community life, such as customs, religion and the arts.
Despite his lack of knowledge, he is very dedicated to preserving the culture of Buleleng. He has resolved to conserve the old historical buildings scattered around the regency such as the buildings at Buleleng harbor and the old houses with colonial architecture on Jalan Ngurah Rai, Jalan Veteran, Jalan Pahlawan and their surroundings. He also plans to develop the Kirtya Building and the Buleleng Museum into the largest conservation complex in North Bali. Above all, he expects that all of these assets will become the major tourist attractions in Buleleng Regency. (leo)

Ayu Simanishari:
Flower Orders Fall

The fall in the number of visitors to Bali because of the bomb blast, war and SARS has meant that orders for fresh flower arrangements have also dropped. ‘Flowers are still popular. People need them. But in the last few months our orders have dropped sharply,’ said I Gusti Ayu Simanishari, the owner of Bunga Ayu flower shop in Seminyak. The fall has been by between 30 and 50%.
Bunga Ayu used to serve about 40 hotels and restaurants in the resort areas of Nusa Dua, Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. They also sell flowers to the public including guests who stay in villas in the Seminyak and Sanur areas. ‘Because the number of tourists is low, the market for flowers has declined as well,’ said Ayu who has owned and managed this business since 1995.
If you go to hotels and restaurants in Kuta and Nusa Dua, for example, you may see the flower arrangements made by Bunga Ayu. ‘We order from Bunga Ayu. They make the arrangements, but we tell them the design we want,” said Made Masih, the owner of Warung Made. The Hotel Santika Bali also orders arrangements from Bunga Ayu.
When tourism in Bali was busy, as it was a year ago, orders for fresh flower arrangements were high. As well as decorations for hotels and restaurants, requests also came from tourists who were getting married in Bali. ‘In one month we used to receive four or five orders for flowers for wedding ceremonies. Now we are not even receiving one such order per month.’ said Ayu.
Flower orders for weddings include bouquets, table decorations and room decorations. Prices start at Rp. 1.000.000 for a simple package. The price of flower arrangements depends on the kind of flowers that are used. The prices for roses and orchids are different.
To satisfy market needs, Ayu Simanishari brought flowers in from areas outside Bali, such as Bandung and Malang (Java) and Batam (Sumatra). We order a few orchids from Batam,’ said Au. ‘From Bandung, we order croissant flowers, gerbera, carnations, and lilium, while roses are bought from Malang.’
To maintain business, Bunga Ayu has had to reduce prices, offer creative flower arrangements, and set up promotion through the Internet. ‘I often get flower magazines from foreigners. We see the shape and designs of arrangements in the magazine and make them with our own talent and creativity,’ said Ayu.
Even though the market situation is still in decline, Ayu said that this business would survive. ‘Flowers are still popular,’ added Ayu. (dp)

Barbara M. Peisert
German TUI Continues to Sell Bali

The German TUI Travel Bureau, the biggest in Europe, is still persevering in selling packages to Bali, Barbara M. Peisert, the Planning & Contracting Manager of the Long Haul Travel (TUI) recently told Bali Travel News. Ms. Peisert refers to the situation in tourism globally and specifically to Post-Black October conditions in Bali. ‘Thus, Bali is not alone. Bali has many friends from artists, to entrepreneurs, to government officials to laymen’, she said.
Ms. Peisert in her position is able to recommend whether a destination should have an entry in the TUI list of events or not. ‘Observing the current developments in Bali for myself, I can see no reason not to sell Bali,’’ she said confidently.
She felt that it was necessary to clarify the position of the TUI because news had been circulating that the TUI had started not to in clude Bali the travel bureau’s holiday itinerary. ‘It is totally false,’ said Ms. Peisert, who came to Bali for the first time in 1976, while frequently spending incognito trips here to witness the latest developments, conferring with people working in tourism and overseas tourists that she encountered casually in hotels and at places of interest for tourists.
‘In principle, there has been no problem, but I would like to repeat that this is a question about the reliability of security from the Indonesian government,’ she ascertained.
The TUI self has persisted in steps towards convincing its market by including Bali in its annual brochures. However, Bali’s Black October (2002) has caused a 50% fall in sales of packages to Bali, compared with Singapore’s business here recording a drop of 40%. (pal)