BALI - In the End it's All About Welcome and Access

Balidiscovery.com, (11/12/2006)

Having just returned from World Travel Mart (WTM) in London, it seems increasingly clear that ambitious plans to accelerate steadily improving arrival totals from the U.K. and European markets will be stymied by the continuing lack of air seats from those markets to Bali.

Garuda's complete and utter retreat from Europe has resulted in not only fewer Bali-bound seats but also a lower presence overall in the European marketplace. Where Bali was once a destination in its own right ex-Europe, it has now become little more than a secondary "extension stop" on a holiday to another competing destination in the region.

This lack of seats operating to Bali means that the hotels and tour operators from Bali who invested heavily in participating at WTM would have found it problematic to address any genuine enquiry for a large group conference or incentive actively considering Bali as a destination. In the absence of more flights to Bali, the island will remain marginalized in its effort to seek the more lucrative group and conference markets from Europe.

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