Operators are planning a wave of offers to promote
Singapore as a gateway to Bali and nearby islands following the
lifting of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ban on non-essential
travel to Indonesia.
In 2001, the UK was Bali’s fourth-largest inbound market
with 116,323 visitors. That figure dropped 57% to 50,043 following
the ban.
The best of the new offers will be from the autumn, once the
peak season for Bali is over and hoteliers start discounting to
attract the UK market during the winter months.
One of the best twin-centre deals on the market is from
AsiaWorld, offering three nights in Singapore combined with seven
in Bali from £779, a saving of £100.
Gold Medal has seven nights’ three-star accommodation,
including breakfast, at the Parigata Resort and Spa from £675
per person twin-share including flights on Cathay Pacific from
Heathrow. Valid until December 9, it must be booked by October
31.
Tropical Locations head of marketing Helene Rodriguez said: “We
are expecting more and more offers to start coming through for the
autumn and winter. Not just for Bali but also for Bintan which,
although part of Indonesia, is just off the coast of
Singapore.”
The operator has seven nights at the Pansea Bali, including
breakfast, for £798 travelling on Singapore Airlines
throughout September and October.
Bali is going from strength to strength for Kuoni with bookings
up 37% following the lifting of the FCO ban. Seven nights at the
three-star Griya Santrian in Sanur cost from £659 per person
with flights on Garuda from Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur.
Product manager Adrian Croft said agents can expect plenty of
promotions in the Limited Editions brochure due out at the end of
this month.
Premier Holidays Faraway product manager David Carlaw said rates
were already pretty good as hoteliers in Bali and nearby Lombok
have not increased their prices since 2002, when business was
devastated by the bomb attacks.
“Hoteliers have not gone mad discounting because they knew
business was coming back. Instead they have been offering added
value, such as free nights. We’ll definitely have some good
offers later in the year.”
The Bali Hilton’s Back to Bali promotion (see news in
brief, left) is commissionable to travel agents at 15% with a
special bonus-night offer on all bookings made before September 30.
The hotel is also offering agents a booking incentive – book
up to 25 nights and get a complimentary three-night stay in a
Grande Room.
Travel 2 Far East product manager Zoe Tasker said it responded
immediately to the lifting of the FCO advice.
“We have special offers on all our featured properties as well
as tactical packages with Qantas which were distributed to
agents.”
Tasker said Bali’s traditional popularity remains. “The
destination has the potential to recover very quickly indeed
– providing the air access is there.
“The beach resorts of Thailand and Malaysia have benefited from
consumer uncertainty about Bali since the bombing, but Bali is
perceived as offering something different – a little more
exotic with a great deal of charm. It’s traditionally been
particularly popular with honeymooners and I would expect it to
reclaim that status quickly.”
Tropical Locations head of product and partner David Kevan said
on a recent visit to Bali the island was “looking superb. I thought
it might be a bit depressed, but the opposite was true. There were
many new hotels and restaurants and many of the older hotels have
spent money on upgrades”.
BALI
Last month the Foreign and Commonwealth Office revised
its travel advice for Indonesia and is no longer advising against
non-essential travel to the destination. Do you know enough about
the situation to advise clients who might want to visit? Travel
Weekly, in conjunction with Tropical Locations, helps you separate
fact from fiction.
The myth: Bali is not under threat from
terrorist activity.
The reality: Bali is still under threat, as is
everywhere else in the world, including London. We state in our
booking conditions that is it generally assumed British citizens
and others are at risk of terrorism attack, be it in the UK or when
travelling overseas. Most of our clients feel safer in Bali than
travelling on the Tube in London. Indonesia is the world’s
largest archipelago and it does have areas of economic and cultural
tension, but this has been ongoing for years, and in areas that
have never shown any interest in tourism.
The myth: it is impossible to get travel
insurance to visit Bali.
The reality: there are now several companies
providing travel insurance to Bali, however they will exclude cover
against terrorism attack. But again, this is worldwide and not
restricted to Bali.
The myth: as UK clients have not been able to
travel to Bali, local hotels must have really suffered.
The reality: of course the hotels have missed the
UK traveller, however most have moved on and found alternative
markets, mainly from within the Asia region. Many hotels have
advanced promotional offers to woo back UK visitors in the shoulder
months of September and October, however most already had good
business on their books for July and August with regular travellers
from Asia and Australia.
The myth: all countries had the same FCO “only
travel if essential” advice.
The reality: certainly not. The only countries
with such advice were the UK, US and Australia, and most Australian
travellers seemed to ignore it anyway. Most countries in Europe,
including Italy, France and Germany, had a “travel but be cautious”
note – fairly standard for travel to Asia.
Advice was further confused within the travel trade as we tour
operators and travel agents have a legal responsibility to make our
clients aware of the FCO advice, while airlines are not obliged to
say anything.
The myth: clients are fully aware of the UK FCO
travel advice policy.
The reality: no, far from it. In fact, most
don’t know of its existence. You will find most tour
operators make reference to the advice in their brochures, with a
website address for further details. At Tropical Locations this is
taken to the extreme with several references throughout the
brochure, on the confirmation account and again with the travel
documents.
