Bali
from a Japanese Perspective
The
Bali Provincial Department of Tourism
(Dinas Pariwisata Daerah) organized a
special meeting at the Bali Rani Hotel
on Monday (18/9) and invited Prof. Shinji
Yamashita as the keynote speaker. The
meeting was attended by prominent tourism
practitioners in Bali. The topic of the
meeting was ‘Southeast Asian Tourism
from a Japanese Perspective’.
In his analyze preview he mentioned that
several countries that are included category
of Asian resorts, such as Bali (Indonesia),
Phuket (Thailand), Penang and Langkawi
(Malaysia) and Cebu (Philippines), are
often described within a clichéd
discourse of "paradise". In
the meeting he brought forward the socio-cultural
implications of Japanese tourist practices
in Southeast Asia, by taking examples
from first Bali-Indonesia, second from
Sabah-Malaysia, and third from Bangkok-Thailand.
Bali is a well known international tourist
site in Indonesia when it was discovered
as the last paradise by western artists
and scholars in 1920s or 1930s. It was
recreated for artistic as well as tourist
audiences. After the independence struggle
and becoming an independent nation, tourism
was seen as an important source of foreign
exchange earnings for Indonesia and Bali
was designated as the most important Indonesian
international tourism destination.
He also said that in the recent tourist
brochures, Bali is described as the island
that touches your heart. The people who
have experienced Bali and find their hearts
touched and moved, will come back to Bali.
Bali is presented as a healing homeland
for Japanese tourists who visit it repeatedly.
Seen in the picture: Mr. Gede Nurjaya,
Mr. Shinji Yamashita and Mr. Hadi Taryoto,
director of Bali Rani Hotel. (BTN/*)
