Bali offers tourism lessons aplenty By Ahmad A.Talib
Our service providers should look to Indonesian isle for ideas
Penang-born Douglas is committed to making Bali a paradise isle with his exclusive and luxurious villa and spa outfit in Jimbaran Bay
DOUGLAS is a man with a mission. A Scotsman but Penang-born, Douglas has made Bali his residence. He’s committed to make Bali a tourism paradise, if it’s not already one.
Now why would a Scotsman want to make Bali his home and, on top of that, do everything in his means to promote the small island, widely regarded as the tourism capital of the world?
Douglas first arrived in Bali 17 years ago and had fallen in love with the island. Many others did, too. His affinity with Bali is such that he now operates an exclusive and luxurious villa and spa outfit in Jimbaran Bay.
Called Gending Kedis (www.gendingkedis.com), Douglas’ boutique villas offer tenants utmost privacy for individuals and corporate staff for brainstorming purposes and board meetings. Honeymoon couples find Gending Kedis a godsend, too.
Chatting with him last week in his pride and joy location, Douglas said he had just returned from Menado, Sulawesi, to promote his villas. In fact, he was there with other hoteliers doing a joint promotion.
And that is probably one of the major factors contributing to Bali’s enormous success as a world-class tourist destination. Douglas, ever smiling and attentive, said:
“We do joint promotions regularly. We sell the destination, that is, Bali. We promote tourism holistically. And as a general rule, we hoteliers promote our outfits without undermining our competitors.”
One can see the positive results of these joint efforts. After two major bombings that greatly discouraged foreign tourists, Bali is now back. Hotels report near-full occupancy and the streets are filled with foreigners in their shorts chasing for bargains.
(The first bombing was in October, 2002 when three bombs exploded in Kuta, killing 202 and injuring 240 others. The second was in October, 2005, involving a series of suicide bombings in Jimbaran and Kuta, killing 20 people and injuring more than 100).
Made, a driver who speaks good English, told me: “After the bombings, Bali was sepi (quiet). We are dependent on tourists. This helped to reinforce our belief that everyone in Bali has a responsibility to this blessed island.”
His colleague, Nyoman, took me on a ride to a village known as Kampung Bule. Bule is the local slang meaning foreigners, as is Mat Salleh to us Malaysians. Nyoman said the village had countless villas, built and owned by foreigners.
This brings to mind our own Malaysia My Second Home programme. Bali’s success in attracting foreigners to set up homes there could perhaps be studied. Something they did is right.
An investor in Bali said the island attracts all sorts of nationals. These foreigners come with all their skills and network. And Bali offers them an opportunity to express their creativity to the fullest.
Mind you, these are not retirees, or people who have passed their prime. These are people who have a passion for life and they help turn Bali into a playground for tired minds and bodies.
These investors also persuade their high net worth contacts to hold their off-site meetings in Ubud or brainstorming in Nusa Dua. Douglas said his Gending Kedis villas were also used for board meetings and other conferences.
As many visitors to Bali would testify, a visit to the island can help open eyes and minds. The people promoting tourism there know what they want, and equally important, know how to get it done.
A waiter at a nasi padang restaurant in Denpasar told me: “Terima kasih kerana datang ke Bali, Pak. Kami senang bila ramai parawisata datang ke tempat kami. (Thank you for coming to Bali. We are happy to have tourists here).”
You see, everyone in Bali makes you feel welcome. The eco-system for tourism in Bali is complete. Drivers, waiters, professionals and shopkeepers, even the foreigners — they all promote tourism in their own way.
There’s much that we can learn from the ordinary Balinese when it comes to tourism. Our tourism people need to spend time in Bali and see how they do it. There are numerous publications and pamphlets on tourism programmes, too.
Bali will play host to Apec next year and most people are already aware of the major conference coming their way. The local population knows what is expected of them. One thing is for sure — they know they owe their living to tourists, unlike many of our service providers.
*I wish Chinese readers Gong Xi Fa Cai.
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