Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the UN Specialized Agency in charge of tourism, began a four-country mission to Asia…
Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the UN Specialized Agency in charge of tourism, began a four-country mission to Asia on Friday as part of the Organization`s Tsunami Recovery Programme. He arrived in Jakarta with his Regional Representative for Asia, Xu Jing where they met with the Indonesian Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, the Deputy Minister in charge of capacity building and International Relations, Thamrin Bachri, industry leaders and the media.
Mr. Frangialli informed the ministers that WTO has already gathered considerable support from the international community, including governments, financial institutions, regional organizations, and the private sector, for carrying out a comprehensive recovery program.
Although Indonesia had been severely affected by the disaster, its tourism industry has been virtually untouched except for the small island of Nias, a popular surfing destination. The main issues are perception and communication, he said.
Hotel cancellations in Indonesia were totally irrational when destinations like Bali, Java and Lombok were several thousand kilometers away from the quake`s epicentre off the western end of Sumatra.
There was a huge gap of understanding between reporting of the tsunami and how tourism in Indonesia has been affected. Generalization had led to a widespread misconception of the situation, as the industry is operating perfectly normally.
Mr. Wacik expressed his gratitude for the personal attention and support given by WTO to his country, saying that the Secretary-General`s visit encouraged the Government to believe that Indonesia will continue its healthy growth in tourism.
He gave Mr. Frangialli details of a three-step recovery scheme, which has started with emergency relief focusing on humanitarian aid. This is being followed up with rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The measures will not only focus on restoring normality for Indonesians, but also on rebuilding heritage sites and cultural monuments. He agreed that it is imperative for Indonesia to restore the misperceived image of tourism, and said that several fam trips for journalists are being organized to tackle this issue.
Mr. Frangialli added that he is confident of an early and rapid recovery of tourism and that the Asia-Pacific region will continue to expand its tourism potential with impressive growth. He encouraged the Indonesian industry to stage more aggressive and tailor-made marketing activities, saying it should turn the crisis into a marketing opportunity where it could improve public awareness of Bali and other destinations. He also praised the Ministry for its new brand image – Indonesia: the Ultimate Diversity.
During his stay in Jakarta, the Secretary-General also met with the Resident Representative of the UNDP before leaving on 30 January for the Thai island of Phuket, where a top-level WTO Emergency Session of the Executive Council is being held. One of the main items on the agenda is the setting up of a special Task Force and plan of action for tourism recovery.
Mr. Frangialli will continue his mission with visits to two other tsunami-stricken countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
