Tourism Risk Management - Sustainable Tourism Online

Bali and Terrorism: Learning from the Past
Following the bombings of a Kuta nightclub on 12 October 12 2002, government, industry and the
community in Bali were forced to implement a series of reactive strategies to respond to and cope
with the resulting tourism crisis. Recovery of consumer confidence and revenues had been a slow
and laborious effort hindered by repeat terrorist incidents in the national capital of Jakarta, SARS,
the introduction of fee-based visas, and numerous high profile drug trafficking cases involving
foreigners.
From the experience of the Kuta nightclub attacks, local residents had developed a greater
awareness and appreciation of how vulnerable the tourism industry and their livelihoods really had
become. As many migrated or returned to villages others sought alternative employment, education
and training. The export market for craft, furniture and textiles was successfully expanded.
However, with limited personal income or foreign investment, opportunities for economic
diversification were limited. The government and tourism sectors worked to improve existing
security measures, provide safety reassurances and promote a value experience for all visitors.
Using networks, skills, resources and understanding developed post-bombing, the community of
Bali successfully worked on education and environmental campaigns and even contributed to the
recovery efforts following the South Asian tsunami. While no formal disaster management plan was
implemented for the island, local measures and understanding helped to enhance capacity and
resource management.
Despite continued cautionary travel advisories and a changed consumer demographic, by
September 2005 visitor arrivals at the international airport in Bali had passed all previous records.
As tourists were once again enjoying the “Bali experience” on the evening of 1 October 2005, a
second series of terrorist attacks occurred inside eating areas of the popular shopping district of
Kuta Square and nearby Jimberan Bay. Rather than a remotely detonated larger explosive, these
bombs were smaller and concealed inside the perpetrators’ backpacks. Compacted with projectiles,
the explosions caused 22 fatalities (including the three suicide bombers) with a further 123 injured.
While most were Indonesians, the fatalities included four Australians and one Japanese.
Given their recent experience, the emergency response to the incident was relatively effective and
coordinated. As community, industry and international leaders again expressed condemnation,
media and operational centres were established to coordinate information and assistance. While
media attention focused on the damage and destruction, the official spokesperson, General I Made
Mangku Made Pastika, Provincial Head of Bali’s Police Department, (responsible for investigations
following the first series of bombings) provided the known facts, outlined investigations and
highlighted the efforts of government, community and the tourism industry in responding and
maintaining safety and security measures. He emphasized that the change in terrorist tactics to
smaller concealed bombs was a testament to improved security measures and that, in light of
similar attacks in London and Madrid, terrorism had become a global issue.
Unlike the first terrorist bombings in Bali, there was not a mass exodus and immediate decline in
tourist numbers. Bali’s second tourism crisis has been more progressive and gradual. Many
optimistic commentators speculated that perhaps the travelling public had become more tolerant
and accepting of the inevitability of terrorism; however while the second terrorist attacks were less
destructive or severe, they established a suggestion of frequency. As travel advisories were once
again introduced by overseas governments, succeeding months saw regular updates highlighting
further “imminent” terrorist attacks directed at tourists. Domestic and regional tourism promotions
were enhanced but proved insufficient to meet the shortfall in local business and income. Seemingly
content with initial response and visitor reactions, there is limited evidence of money or resources
allocated to medium- or long-term recovery initiatives. Although Bali has continued to win numerous
Tourism Risk Management – An Authoritative Guide to Managing Crises in Tourism 43