SAFETY IS NOT THE ISSUE IN BALI, PROMOTION IS.

Bali has for years been a popular tourist destination for visitors from all over the World. A fascinating history, rich culture, natural beauty, legendary friendliness are just some of the items on a long, long list of attractions.

For the last two years, the World has been bombarded with scenes of violence and tension in Indonesia : East Timor, Jakarta, Ambon, Aceh .... Those scenes portrayed the country negatively and caused many tourists to cancel or reconsider their plans to travel to Bali.

Actually, this fear of being caught in a tense or difficult situation is completely unfounded. In Bali, life just goes on as usual, remains safe and disturbed. Tourists are still warmly and graciously welcomed. Despite these facts, many travel agents have just deleted all Indonesia sections from their brochures and offers.

That is considered an injustice in Bali. Tourism operators in Bali just need some PR and promotion to be done to help them show the real situation in the island, and to convince those still hesitant to include Bali in their tour programs, packages and itineraries.

Source : Balivillage Edition