Bali will recover from terrorist bombings in Jimbaran and Kuta
Living here in Bali and being in the epicenter of the tourist industry, I sense the mood of the local people and tourists. My sense is that after the dust has settled on the the Kuta and Jimbaran bombings, people will take a deep breath and continue to come to Bali.
After Bali Bomb I at the Sari Club in Kuta in 2002, tourism went down the tubes for over a year and many local busineses went out of business. Since that time I have seen a tremendous amount of construction and reconstruction. The tourist industry in Bali is fighting back. Every time a new place opens, everytime a PR staff smiles and encourages a tourist to enter an establishment, everytime a chef puts out a great meal, instead of an okay one, we get one step closer to being a great destination again. When people like Amrozi wreak havoc, its makes me especially mad, because all those small instances of hard work, effort and commitment get trampled. Tourism is a fragile industry, but one that can shine on its day.
A recent interview with Pacific Asia Travel Association Vice President Peter Semone, suggests the recent terrorist attacks in Kuta and Jimbaran will not kill the tourist industry. In the same vein as the London terrorist bombings and the New York 9/11 attacks, people adapt and mentally deal with the threat of terror. I'm a Londoner and grew up with terror incidents in the city. At my place of work we were always getting evacuated and it was much like a fire drill, same as usual.
In Seminyak I have noticed luxury hotels like Sofitel, taking extra precautions such as using mirror on poles to look under vehicles and a generally more security staff. Bars on Jl. Dhyana Pura have ramped up security too in places.
By Nick | Permalink
Related Posts
- Bali Bomb II conspirator jailed
- Java police find explosives like Bali bombs
- Bali Bomb II anniversary service in Jimbaran Bali
- Militant Wanted To Be a Bomber: Denpasar, Bali
- Militant Warns of More Attacks: Indonesia
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share               |
Comments
Good. Bali does need idiots like Tony anyway. :->
Bali will recover coz people’s memory is very short. Soon everyone will forget about the bombs and have a jolly good time once again. Meanwhile Tony is staying home and he is resigned to banging his car tail-pipe coz he is too afraid to go to Bali. :->
I have been to Bali 10 times, my 13 year old daughter, 5 times & my 10 year old son, 4 times & these terrorists will not stop us going to Bali this Christmas either! We have a 5 hour drive to get to Perth airport & there is more chance of something happening to us on the drive to Perth. I feel sad for those who have lost their lives to these terrorists but unfortunately I think it is a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We will not put our lives on hold for these terrorists!! We cannot wait to be back in Bali, our “second home”, with our extended families. I hope, that in time, those people who have decided not to return, will in fact change their mind & give the Balinese people the respect they deserve, after all it’s not their fault!
hi Michelle..what a wonderful spirit…i want to have that kind of spirit.
That’s a bit of a simplistic view based on the fact that no more sh*t will happen in the next year. If you saw SBS Dateline yesterday you might have other concerns. Also although you grew up with the IRA, Aussies have no dealings with this type of thing in Australia and take a different stance. Most families seem to have cancelled for now; who knows for how long.