17 Platinum Buyers Participate in Bali Beyond Travel Fair

Nusa Dua (Antara Bali)- Some 17 platinum-category buyers are taking part in the Bali Beyond and Travel Fair (BBTF) 2015.

"We have been more selective in inviting buyers to the BBTF to maintain the quality of the event," Ketut Ardana, the chairman of the BBTF 2015 organizing committee, stated here on Thursday.

Due to the stringent selection process, the number of potential buyers and sellers participating in the fair is low.

Some 173 buyers from 28 countries are attending the second BBTF, down from 246 buyers in the previous year.

The sellers comprising 172 travel agents and hoteliers are participating in this year`s event, down from 361 recorded in 2014.

The sellers are from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Selayar, Bandung, Raja Ampat, and Wakatobi, among other places.

Of the 173 potential buyers, 17 come under the platinum category such as TWI from Germany and Flight Center from Australia.

They are travel agents that have the potential to bring at least 10 thousand foreign tourists to Indonesia annually.

Chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI) Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya expressed optimism that the fair would be able to attract more foreign tourists to Indonesia.

He hoped that the room occupancy rate in hotels would increase, as Bali has at least 80 thousand rooms.

The hotel room occupancy rate in Bali is so far only 54 percent of the estimated occupancy rate, with 29 million tourists per room per night.

"So, the shortage of some 14 to 15 million tourists to fill the vacant rooms should be met," he emphasized.

Indonesia is organizing the BBTF in Nusa Dua, from June 10 to 14, this year, to promote the country`s tourism to the world.

The BBTF 2015, which is being organized for the second time this year, promotes not only the famous tourist resorts in Bali but also those in other Indonesian regions such as Papua, Yogyakarta, Padang, NTB, NTT, Sulawesi, and Sumatra.

The world`s best island of Bali has been selected to host the BBTF, as it is known as the gateway to Indonesia that attracts foreign tourists to visit other regions in the country. (DWA)