Bali Tourism News

Asia and Pacific travel industry kicks off Bali meet

September 28th, 2007

Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua

More than 400 delegates from the travel trade in the Asia Pacific region are gathering in Nusa Dua, Bali, today for the kick off of the biggest annual promotion and networking event held by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

The three-day event, titled the PATA Travel Mart 2007, will be attended by some 1,500 travel trade representatives from 50 member countries.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, who is co-hosting the event, said that the PATA Travel Mart 2007 was expected to generate business worth about US$500 million, with Indonesia hoping to benefit to the tune of about $60 million.

“By hosting this prestigious travel event, the Indonesian tourism industry has a chance to play a key role directly in the Asia Pacific market and remind the travel trade that Indonesia is still one of the world’s best destinations,” Minister Jero Wacik said in his welcoming remarks to the delegates Tuesday.

He said the Indonesia tourism sector had bounced back and was now expanding again after several lean years due to natural disasters, security problems and the bird-flu scare.

In the first semester of this year, some 750,000 foreign tourists visited Bali, with June alone seeing 150,000 visitors, an increase of 32.4 percent compared to the same period last year.

Wacik said that the presence of global players and the international press in Bali for the expo would help promote a positive image of the country and the “Island of the Gods” in particular.

As the official carrier for the event, Garuda Indonesia is also eager to promote its brand during the event.

“This is clearly an exciting event for us. The presence of the international media gives us a good chance to showcase our tourism potential. Right now, Garuda is trying to establish new routes abroad,” a Garuda spokesperson told The Jakarta Post.

Aside from networking and the sealing of deals, the Travel Mart also serves as an educational forum where experts will discuss the latest developments in the MICE sector. This is the latest buzzword in the tourism business and stands for “meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.”

The delegates can also attend workshops organized by PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Center on various current topics, such as the tourism industry in China and U.S. outbound markets.

The PATA Foundation will also hold an auction, with part of the proceeds to be contributed towards the growth and development of travel and tourism in the region through protection of the environment, conservation of heritage and support for education.

The organizers are hoping that the travel industry leaders will also agree on and sign a cross-sectoral industry response to climate change, one of the greatest global threats to travel and tourism, during the event.

PATA President and CEO Peter de Jong said that the ambitious goal of the event was to create a single platform and action plan, fully engaging tourism ministers and heads of tourist boards, CEOs of airlines and airports, CEOs of leading international hotel groups, major tour operators and other key industry stakeholders.

At the final day of the event on Friday, PATA will present its Gold Awards to honor this year’s high achievers in the business.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Entry Filed under: Bali Tourism News