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Local
Authority News...........
Tourism Stakeholders from West
Flores & Komodo Visit Bali to
Promote Tourism. Tour operators,
accommodation providers and the
Regional Government of West Flores (Manggarai
Barat) are combining forces to
launch their burgeoning tourism
industry via a gala dinner reception
in Bali on Wednesday, April 23, 2008
at the Ramada Bintang Bali Resort &
Spa. Some 200 leaders from the Bali
tourism industry have been invited
to join a gala evening which will
include Flores culinary specialties,
traditional cultural performances
and exciting door prices.
The
event, which coincides with the
launch of the regions tourism
branding program of “West Flores:
Komodo and So Much More” also
coincides with the opening in May of
the 59 room 4-star Bintang Flores
Hotel and a new website featuring
the entire West Flores region.
The
Bali promotion represents a joint
effort of the Government of
Manggarai Barat, the tourism
stakeholders of the region, the
Bintang Flores Resort and the WiSaTa
Project - a tourism initiative in
the West Flores funded by
Swisscontact and the Australian
Government (AusAid).
Leading tourism stakeholders from
West Flores led by the Regent (Bupati)
of West Flores, Drs Wilfridus
Fidelis Pranda, will travel to Bali
to act as co-hosts with the Bintang
Flores Hotel of the evening dinner
reception. Key players representing
West Flores’ accommodation
providers, tour operators and dive
boat operators will stay on in Bali
for two days of one-on-one meetings
with key tour operators based in
Bali.
Swisscontact is facilitating the
Cocktail reception and Bali Sales
Blitz together with the government
of West Manggarai and members of the
tourism industry to promote the West
Flores tourism destination to the
major representatives of the Bali
Travel Industry and to launch the
destination branding of “West
Flores: Komodo & So Much More” and
the innovative West Flores
Promotional Portfolio.
Thomas Ulrich, the WiSaTa Project
Manager based in Labuan Bajo
explained his team’s goals, saying:
“The Swisscontact WiSATA Project,
based on an Australian Government -
AusAID initiative, started in June
2006 and aims to improve the
performance of tourism service
providers in West Manggarai through
creating a more conducive
environment for pro-poor tourism in
terms of more and better tourism
services and facilities, more
effective promotion functions and
better government planning and
service delivery. The project works
in partnership with the district
government of West Manggarai and the
private sector. It is expected that
more and better tourism products
combined with effective promotion
and marketing, will lead to
increased average length of stay,
increased average spending, and
higher visitor numbers, resulting in
more full and part time employment
opportunities and increased
government and household income. A
strong focus is given on the
promotion and the first steps of
development of new mainland based
tourism products, allowing income
generation and job opportunities in
remote rural areas.”
Among the highlights of the Gala
West Flores Evening will be brief
presentations on new tourism
products from Komodo and West
Flores, musical presentations, West
Flores food items taken from a cook
book project being spearheaded by
the WiSaTa Project and a number of
exciting door prizes. |
