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SENGGIGI BUSINESS FORUM OFF TO GREAT START FOR LOMBOK

Lombok Times - March 2004
The first General meeting of the Senggigi Business Forum attracted approximately 70 people to the Intan Lombok Village on Friday, March 26, 2004. Chairman Peter Canfield welcomed the guests representing many diverse Senggigi business interest. He then outlined the background developments of the forum, which stemmed from the controversial Visa on Arrival issue, which resulted in the initial forum group succeeding to have Mataram added to places where the VOA could issue for tourist.

Special guests included Bpk. Yakoub Abidin, the Head of the Departement of Tourist, and Bpk. Hand Rick Djehadud, the Chairmen of APINDO (Indonesia Business Association). The board members represented the wide variety of business interests in Senggigi: starred hotels Stefan Winkler (GM Sheraton); Melati Hotel, Bulus Tobing (Oma sittard); Restaurant Sakinah Mahsun (Asmara); Travel A. Siaga (PT. Cinta Lombok Lestari); Trade/Shops; Him Chandra (Indra photo); Sport Gerd Bunte (Dream drives); Misc./Publicity Don Storen (Lombok Times)

SBF’S vision focuses on making Senggigi and Gili Indah a healthy, friendly and peaceful destination for tourists, residents and business to enjoy, and the long term preservation of our natural environment- the primary appeal of Lombok. Its mission includes:

- Acting for and on behalf of business in the general area of Senggigi and Gili Indah
- Ensuring a clean, green, safe and healthy, tourist- friendly environment.
- Participating actively in the effective promotion of Lombok overseas.
- Pursuing prosperity and health for business and residents together.
- In order to achieve their mission the Senggigi Business Forum will:
- Act as a lobby group ob behalf of its members to address specific problems (and coordinate with Casa Grande, ASIRA {Association of Tour Operators} and PHRI {Hotel owners Association}).
- Participate actively with Departement of Tourism for the promotion of Lombok and Government in general for the preservation of the best of Lombok.
- Work to improve and sustain a good image of the tourist area.
Communicate actively and regularly with all its members.
- Work closely with KADIN (Chamber of Commerce) and APINDO (Business Association of Indonesia) to coordinate our efforts.
- Foster good relationships with the residents and broader community of the area.
- Always act in an honest, ethical and transparent manner

The present and planned work programmer includes:

- Anti-mosquito spraying Batu Layar until Malimbo.
- Regular Street cleaning. Presently undertaken by Pak Husein’s work team and the local community.
- Replacing the zinc fence with banten at Sahid Tamara and Panorama corners.
- Removing the burnt out buildings at Pasar Seni and replacing them with a garden/activity area.
- Improving drainage for the frequently flooded area in front of the Bukit Senggigi.
- Addressing the Lembar port and the Bangsal port to Gili transit point problems presentably causing distress for visitors.
- Promoting programmers with the Tourist Departement.
- Giving support to Casa Grande to conduct the Lombok half Marathon program

Additional issues raised at the meeting for SBF to pursue included:
- The persistent hassling of tourist by peddlers
- The stalled development at the corner of Panorama Restaurant
- What is the real job of Tourist police?
- The need to spray Gili Meno for mosquitoes
- Environment of the road lighting especially in the comer of Café Alberto
- The need for feedback from costumers, e.g. with a website, from hotel data responses

Bpk. Yaqob gave a short talk on behalf of Governor Drs. H. Lalu Srinata. As a business forum, the implementation of the general meeting certainly is important for significant and strategic efforts to make the perceptions of business people the same, especially those that have a business in the Sengigig area, to upgrade the quality and quantity of approaches to business in the midst of the economic and tourism recession which as wracked this nation in the past few years certainly has had a negative effect significant enough to concert the business world.

Without exception to the businesses running in this area. Very low numbers of foreigners, which in reality constitute the biggest source of revenue, boils down to a set a problem that, threaten the business existence around the tourism area. To ever come this situation, the government has taken some steps to attract tourist to visit this area. one thing done some time agent was entrusted to apply the Visa on Arrival (VOA) system, where presenting this service will make it easier for tourist to arrange the administration requirements of the format for their length of stay. Of course this response was a breath of fresh air for tourism business in NTB, hoping that it will able to ever come the sluggishness of tourism which still occurs at present.

But on the other hand, this facility requires more that tourism business people give adequate service to be able to create an environment that is clean, secure, healthy and friendly for tourist. in the meantime, the orientation, of tourism business tends simply to give service in style that we could say to be static, so this is the time we must show a dynamic style, adapting to the situation and conditions as well as the country of the visitors. So that all of the tourists will feel like them being at own home.

We confess that so attain that image, besides needing a promotion effort, also it must be followed whit a performance of the product that has certain characteristics that most tourists like, with reasonable price. "However, I’m sure and believe, with our strong will and collective enthusiasm, that the things mentioned can be reached in relatively quick time. So that in the future, it will bring an outcome not only for business people and government, but will able to give a positive reflection to the increasing welfare of the society around the area. Therefore, though this Senggigi Business Forum, hopefully it will result in a favorable opinion and understanding of the business around the Senggigi area, so the tourists who visit really feel at ease as well as get what they want".