28th Edition - The President Post

The President Post
Tourism
Display until November 12, 2011 /// N0. 28
www.thepresidentpost.com
SECTION
C
“Stunning natural beauty,
the people’s genuine, warm welcome
are Indonesia’s tourism appeals”
SD Darmono, Chairman of PATA Indonesian
Chapter, recently had a conversation with Paul
Preston of PATA Compass Magazine.
Excerpts:
Indonesians are travelling
like never before both domestically
and internationally-why is
this and what has changed?
The past 14 years of a democratic
Indonesia has coincided
with explosion of the internet age
which brings with it a new generation
of Indonesians who are ‘tech
savvy’, and have all the information
they need just a click away,
and as Indonesia continues to see
economic growth while much of
the rest of the world is bordering
on recession, greater numbers of
the population have the disposable
income that allows for travel
whether it is domestic or international.
Also, I believe that the
prevalence of social networking in
Indonesia has an enormous impact
on broadening the minds of
the many who may otherwise be
contented ‘staying at home’.
Which markets are stronger
and where do trends appear to
be heading?
The obvious busy travel times
of Idul Fitri, when Indonesians
customarily return to their family
homes, and Haj, when Muslims
make their pilgrimage to Mecca,
will continue to be of major importance,
but there is a notable
increase in many Indonesians desire
to visit some of the beautiful
locations at home for example, Belitung,
Danau Toba, Gunung Bromo,
Mentawi Islands, Bunaken or
Lombok, which for so long seem
to have only been on ‘foreigners’
itinerary. Where overseas travel
is concerned, aside from business
and student needs (which
will surely continue to grow),
there is still a strong desire to visit
landmark western destinations,
like London, Paris, Rome or New
York, and this appeal continues
amongst young and old alike.
Terrorism seems to have not
slowed tourism arrivals, in fact
they’re now stronger than before
the Bali bombings, and
Australians still seem to have
the market share. What new
trends are emerging?
There has been a huge impact
on many businesses in Bali, and
many have struggled to survive,
but it is true that arrivals are back
on the increase. Bali holds a great
deal of mystique for foreign travellers,
since ‘the Island of the Gods’
is still synonymous with ideas of
tropical paradise.
Surfing has increased in popularity
worldwide, and a large number
of Australian visitors, even if
not surfers themselves are regularly
exposed to the surf scene,
which recognizes Bali as one of
the premier destinations in the
world. The truth of the matter is
that there are many other Indonesian
surf locations of equal word
class status, but current lack of
infrastructure means that they
are only visited by dedicated and
adventurous travellers. The mere
mention of Bali overseas evokes
thoughts of a beautiful paradise
Island, and hopefully, one day the
rest of Indonesia will be thought of
in the same way.
Bali was once the far away destination
for the rich and famous,
but is now able to be enjoyed by a
much larger cross section of foreign
travellers.
Bali seems to be getting a
rough time lately in the media
with criticisms of the lack of
infrastructure (roads, airport),
rubbish disposal, and others. Is
Bali in danger of losing the vital
Australian market?
There are definite infrastructure
issues that remain to be addressed,
but I believe the political
will is there to continue to make
improvements. It should be remembered
that other world destinations
of similar attractiveness
like the West Indies, Seychelles
or Pacific Islands have at least as
many Infrastructure problems
and probably less opportunity to
overcome them.
With regard to the speculation
about entrapment, I think this
isolated incident has been somewhat
over-played, particularly
with Indonesia’s clear policy about
drug enforcement. I don’t think
that it will have any lasting effect
on Australians’ desire to come to
Bali, and we should always try
to steer clear of political posturing.
One could just as easily enquire
whether the imprisonment
of Indonesian crew members (also
juveniles, on a ship carrying refugees)
would have an effect on Indonesians
desire to go to Australia.
The government can allow the
proper legal process to take place,
and ensure a fair and balanced
approach to media coverage.
There is much to be proud of
even more to offer in this rich and
culturally diverse archipelago.
Outside of Bali what are
some of the newer Indonesian
destinations that are showing
growth for an international
market and where are they
coming from?
There are many beautiful destinations,
each with their own appeal
which are already on foreign
visitor’s itineraries. Often they are
sites of outstanding beauty and
the number of visitors is on the
increase, but our current challenge
is to establish better infrastructure
support for each of the
destinations, to make them more
accessible, and maybe more importantly
have a strong clear message
that will drive the desire for
foreign visitors to make the trip.
How is Indonesia pursuing
this market and where is everyone
going? Is this market more
a ‘visiting friends & relatives’
market or are Indonesians taking
more vacation time?
There are vast demographic differences
across the Indonesian
population with the majority being
those with limited facility for
travel and therefore only in the
‘visiting friends & relatives’ market.
However, while I don’t believe
there is more vacation time
being taken, I do believe that Indonesians
(more than foreigners),
will readily accept long journey
times for a relatively short stays at
their destination. This translates
to an enormous potential market
for any destination in Indonesia
which ‘markets’ itself well. I say
this since even amongst Indonesian
nationals there is an underlying
perception that ‘Bali’ is Indonesia’s
holiday destination! I am
sure that once this domestic perception
is changed then the whole
tourism sector will benefit.
As for the tourism products
which appeal to the Indonesian
market, they are probably the
same as those sought anywhere
around the world.
Indonesia’s domestic airline
industry has taken a beating
over the years – how has this
improved?
Indonesia is still emerging as
an international destination, and
as with any emerging nation there
have been some valid criticisms.
They should however be taken in
context with other comparable nations.
Purely because of the size of
the population, and the accelerated
growth of the airline industry,
problems arose that may well
have been arrested in more developed
countries, and while there
have been some company failures,
the industry has recently become
stronger and is now maintaining
International Flight Safety Standards.
It is incumbent upon Indonesian
carriers to make it known
across the world, that the airline
industry here has undergone the
necessary improvements and will
maintain their international standards.
Outside of Bali, most Australian’s
are not aware of other
tourism offerings in Indonesia –
are there any plans for promotion
of the country as a whole?
Of course, the current wish of
PATA (Indonesian Chapter) is to
establish 100 destinations, each
with their own distinctive appeal,
which can then be promoted in
a concerted ‘Tourism Marketing
Plan’.
Singapore is so close to Indonesia
– are Singaporeans travelling
to Indonesia and where do
they most visit?
Singaporeans have been travelling
to Indonesia for years and
of course many have business interests
here, but many will travel
here for leisure activities. For instance,
there are 58 golf courses
to choose from, many designed by
international stars like Sir Nick
Faldo, and at most, not only are
you playing in beautifully manicured
tropical playgrounds complete
with golf carts, you also are
accompanied by beautiful, well
trained caddies. All for a fraction
of the cost of golfing in Singapore!
Bali’s spa business appears
to be blooming – how big is
this area of business and is it
spreading to other parts of Indonesia?
The spa business in Bali is
definitely helped by visitors’ ongoing
love of all things ‘Island of
the Gods’. Arrivals feel the need
to pamper themselves, and the
spa businesses naturally benefit.
What is less well known is that
massage of many different varieties
is an everyday part of Indonesian
culture, and most definitely
not reserved for holidays. Spa
businesses, of the resort type, will
naturally flourish in every new
destination that is opened up to
visitors.
What flight routes do you believe
could benefit Indonesia’s
tourism industry?
New flight routes will continue
to become available as the tourist
Industry grows, and yes more
are needed, but will be introduced
along with the appropriate infrastructure
support, that will allow
the continued safe operation
of expanding domestic airline operators.
What are occupancy levels
and how do they vary region to
region?
Occupancy rates are generally
40%-75%, dependent on the location
and the brand of the hotel,
with averages of approximately
60% in Bali, 55% in Jakarta, 50%
in Riau and 45% in other areas.
There are of course some hotels
with considerably higher averages.
Where the figures are consistently
high, it can be seen that Investors
are taking the opportunity
to develop new hotel projects.
What would you say is the
greatest appeal for international
visitors for Indonesia?
Apart from the stunning natural
beauty of the archipelago,
I would have to say – “The genuine,
naturally warm welcome and
hospitality given by the Indonesian
people”
What countries do Indonesians
travel to internationally
the most and what trends do
you see appearing?
The wealthiest Indonesians,
some 10% out of the population of
240 million, will continue to travel
to the top worldwide destinations,
and some will enjoy several
trips annually. By contrast, maybe
for a once in a lifetime trip, the
majority Moslem population of the
working class go to Mecca for Haj
and Umroh (pilgrimage).
Singapore, regarded as the ‘China
Town’ of Indonesia, will likely
continue to be one of the most frequently
visited.
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