THK and Hotels (8)

Why Target Hotels?

Introduction
Tri Hita Karana Tourism Awards & Accreditations (THK Awards) in 2005 is five years old. However, there are people still putting it into question, “What is the background of executing this program? Why does this program target hotels? Does not the hotel ‘only’ appeal for capital and profit/loss, while THK puts forward harmony and togetherness principles? Is it possible that both poles—capital and profit on the one hand, while harmony and togetherness spirit on the other hand—can coalesce? So, what is the concrete result of the THK Awards after five years?
Bali Travel News, starting from the 14th edition carries comprehensive articles around the carrying out of THK Awards. Based on the background of the program launched, its method and execution mechanism up to the positive impact comes into view after five years.

Since long ago and up to now, there is one who remains to call into question, why THK Awards program is addressed to hotels, or merely target the hotel. As a matter of fact, it is not only designed for hotels, but it is first directed to hotels. There are a number of considerations why THK Awards program is firstly targeted to hotels.
Firstly, investment ventured and number of employee’s that are absorbed by hotels occupies the highest rank compared to tens of other tourism business sectors in Bali. Total investment of 1,200 hotels in Bali with 48,112 rooms is estimated reaching IDR 50s trillion, accommodates over 164,000 employees. In the global stratum, according to futurologist John Naisbit, tourism is the greatest industry. It accommodates 240 million people or 10.6% of world’s total labour force. Its output is 10.2% of GNP or USD 3.2 trillion. Then, it produces USD 6 billion taxes, almost 11% of consumer’s expenditure and constitutes 10.7% of investment. In the forthcoming 2020, visit of foreign tourists is estimated to reach 1,561,000,000 people with total revenue amounting to USD 2,000 billion.
Secondly, hotel’s constitutes the backbone of the tourism industry, the most important integral tourism product and complete tourism service received by tourists among other services. If the backbone, the most important integral part and tourism service comes into contact with positive values that mandated in the THK concept, as a general rule, have an effect positively towards the entire tourism system.
Thirdly, hotels do not only provide accommodation services, but also other services like food and beverages, entertainment in the form of a variety of dance performances, alluring view, souvenirs, sport and fitness (swimming pool, golf, tennis, bowling, spa) and so forth. Nearly 95% of tourist needs after arriving at a destination are catered for by the hotel. Seeing such central role of the hotel, so it should be utilized as maximal as possible as conservation resource and security guard of culture and aesthetics or spiritual.
Fourthly, tourism seems to have become a choice for this Bali Islet–having the extent of 5,632.86 square km, population of 3.1 million with density 555 per square km (Census 2000) and containing limited natural resources. As a consequence, it needs securing and protecting in order to last along the ages. And since hotels constitutes the backbone, integral part and the most complete tourism service it should acquire earnest attention to make it come forward in securing physical and non-physical (cultural) environment mandated by the THK concept as the local genius of Bali.
The four reasons mentioned above are seemingly sufficient to represent the answer for questions at the beginning of this article. Especially associated with negative assumption that hotels merely seeks to attain hard cash, sexuality, spirit and drugs parties, except for being necessary to be absolutely corrected, it’s also necessary to make it into the means of self-introspection. The hoteliers (owner, management, employee) have no other choice but to examine their own thoughts and feelings, why such negative assumption should come into view. Is it caused by less open and intensive communication?, or merely by jealousy or pure ignorance?
Through hotel involvement as participants of THK Awards program, such negative assumptions—sooner or later—must be able to be purged. Except due to the organizer of THK Awards program is a press institution that has principal responsibility to spread correct information, it also obtains support from the government as the holder of public authority and concurrently as a public service provider.
(BTN/B. Ashrama)

THK Accreditations Team Sets to Work

Since mid September, the Assessor and Accreditations Team of ‘Tri Hita Karana’ (THK) Tourism Awards & Accreditations have set to work in the field. The team is divided into two consisting of the team that makes assessment for the Tourist Object and Attraction (TOA) and others for hotels.
Other than the Assessor and Accreditation Team, several surveyors comprising students of the Bali Tourism College (STP) also simultaneously distributed questionnaires for communities in the vicinity of hotel and tourist attractions. The assessment result will be appraised in November, and then on the 4 December 2005 the awards will be presented at a special happening to be held in the middle courtyard of the Taman Ayun Temple, Mengwi. (BTN/*)