T

he Bali tourism industry has been urged to take measures to further tap the lucrative Singaporean market, which is on the verge of overtaking Japan and Australia as the island’s largest tourism market.

Singaporean tourist arrivals increased 69.41 percent last year. Around 57 percent of those were return visitors, Putu Widyahari, from the Bali Tourism Office’s research and study center, said.

Putu Widyahari said the changing dynamic of Bali’s tourism market would likely encourage the tourism industry to change products and programs, and promotional and marketing strategies to cater to the demands of new emerging markets.

“Five Asian countries including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and China are now sitting in the top 10 biggest tourism markets for Bali, which has in the past been dominated by countries from the European Union and the United States,” Widyahari said.

The other five major markets are Australia (585,140 persons), Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Citing examples, tourists from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are fond of wellness products, such as spas and massage parlors, as well as entertainment.

“Tour guides with language skills from those countries are badly needed to serve these markets.”

Bali welcomed 2.47 million foreign tourist arrivals last year, which was above the target of 2.2 million. Around 3.7 domestic tourists also flocked to the island in the same period last year.

The study, however, revealed that the highest numbers of returning visitors were from Japan, Australia and the United States.

A.A. Prana agreed that the new markets had seen a rise in the number of wellness and spiritual holiday packages. “A large number of hotels and villas have provided these facilities for their guests,” Prana said.

However, IB Gede Sidharta Putra said Bali’s most loyal tourist arrivals were from Europe. “For many years, around 40 to 50 percent of European tourists were returning visitors who had spent long holidays in hotels in the Nusa Dua, Sanur and Ubud areas,” Sidharta Putra said.

“They usually stay for between two and three weeks for holidays. For most Europeans, holidays have become necessities,” Sidharta said.

The Indonesian Travel Agencies’ (ASITA) Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara chapter coordinator Ida Bagus Sudibya said the sudden surge in Singaporean tourists would have a positive impact on local tourism.

Singapore, he said, was a rich country with a growing middle class and an opulent class, which viewed holidaying as a “must”.
“Singapore is our closest neighbor country.”

Studies revealed that many Singaporeans choose Bali as their favorite tourist destination, followed by Thailand, Hong Kong, China and Australia.

Singaporean tourists spend on average one week in Bali, spending US$175 per day per person as compared with European tourists, who spend on average $140-$165 per day per person.