Tough competition calls for aggressive promotion: Guide association

As the ongoing global financial meltdown turns up the heat on the tourism industry, those in the industry need to become more aggressive with their marketing campaigns, says the leader of an international guide association.

The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) chairwoman Rosalind Newlands said some of the federation's members had reported a decline in the number of visitors, which will increase the level of competition in the tourism industry.

"I think we need everything. We need good and excellent promotions as people need to know what you have to offer, and its value-for-money aspect. It does not necessarily mean that it should be cheap," she said Monday.

"The most important thing is that people will still travel and that they will seek the best tourism packages, including the best and most professional tourist guides."

Yet, she added, tourists might not spend as much money on their travels as they did before the crisis erupted. may look for better deals and definitely will start looking for high-quality packages," she said, adding that there might be a slight decline in tourism growth across the world.

Newlands was speaking on the sidelines of the 13th WFTGA convention, a five-day gathering held at the Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel in Kuta, Badung.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said the country's budget allocation for tourism marketing had yet to reach the ideal level, with only Rp 300 billion earmarked for 2009, a slight increase from Rp 250 billion in 2008.

"Ideally, to reach our target of 6.5 million tourists this year, we need around Rp 700 billion. But with the limited budget of last year, we managed to attract 6.4 million tourists," he saidI believe we can manage with this small budget."

The Bali provincial administration has slashed its tourism marketing budget from Rp 5 billion to Rp 4 billion even though around 60 percent of the island's workers are employed by tourism-related businesses. Newlands said the convention would discuss the roles tourist guides could play to promote ecotourism. Guides, she said, are in an ideal position to influence visitors' behavior and increase their sensitivity toward ecotourism and the social climate.