Bali advised to intensify tourism promotion

Bali advised to intensify tourism promotion

All tourism stakeholders in Bali, both government and private sector, should intensify the promotion of the island to increase the currently declining number of tourists, tourism practitioners have said.

Bagus Sudibya, one of the nine members the of Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD), told Bali Daily that the provincial administration had yet to fully commit to promoting the island’s tourism.

This lack of commitment had been shown in the declining promotion budget, down from Rp 3 billion (US$300,600) in 2011, to Rp 2 billion in 2012, and Rp 1 billion this year.

“A smaller budget means less performance and fewer activities. Although Bali has been popular worldwide, promotion should be intensified on a regular basis to introduce new products, such as tourism villages,” Sudibya said.

He said the administration should not only rely on tourism businesses to do the promotion.

“The administration should play a greater role, including in financing,” he said, adding that promotion in other destinations, such as Singapore and Malaysia, received full financial support from their governments.

BPPD chairman Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati shared a similar view, adding that competition in Bali’s tourist industry had become fiercer, particularly in the accommodation business, due to the increase in new budget hotels.

Currently, many property businessmen are trying their luck in the accommodation business by converting shop-houses into rented rooms.

At the same time, there is declining growth in tourist arrivals from two digit percentage growth in previous years, to only five percent this last two years.

Data from the provincial Tourism Agency showed that tourist arrivals grew 13.26 percent in 2009, 11.80 percent in 2010, 10.57 percent in 2011, and fell to 4.91 percent last year.

Hotel occupancy has also plummeted to between 50 to 60 percent for star-rated hotels and 40 percent for non-starred hotels. “The supply had surpassed demand. We have no other solution than to stop building new accommodation facilities and intensify promotion until the situation improves,” he said.

He was also concerned about the situation after a number of much-anticipated events, including the APEC Summit and Miss World pageant.

“What will it be like after these events are over? Many accommodation and MICE facilities have been built,” he worried.

Under the BPPD, he hoped the private sector and the administration would cooperate to increase promotion and that the administration would increase the budget.

This year, the board has started its tasks by making plans of action based on identified problems.

The board will focus on four points: domestic promotion, overseas promotion, destination and product development, and research.

Next month, they will discuss next year’s promotion activities with tourism stakeholders.

Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, head of the provincial tourism agency, admitted that the promotion budget had been slashed every year so money could be allocated to more urgent programs, such as poverty eradication and the gubernatorial election.

Bali advised to intensify tourism promotion