THE series of bomb and small arms attacks in Jakarta’s central business district yesterday, including the bombing of a Starbucks café and a police post, has had “no impact” on the nation’s tourism industry, said Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya.

“Everything is back to normal. We have checked and there is no report of cancellations from airlines, hotels and travel companies in Jakarta,” he said.

“Our Crisis Centre had checked with all 14 hotels along Jalan Thamrin-Sudirman. As of 22.00 last night, there was no early check-out reported and all are confident that the situation is back to normal.”

Herry Lukman, member on the board of directors of Sari Pan Pacific Hotel Jakarta, the hotel closest to the incident, confirmed this. “We have received no complaints from guests, no one checked out earlier, let alone an exodus,” he said.

Endah Faeni, owner of Mitradaya Adipratama PCO, who was handling a business meeting at Sari Pan Pacific Hotel Jakarta yesterday, said: “The company had been meeting there since Monday. All 30 participants were evacuated when the attack took place, but the meeting resumed after it was declared safe. Today, they are continuing according to schedule.”

As well, Krishnadi, Indonesia Hotel & Restaurant Association (IHRA) Jakarta Chapter chairman, told TTG Asia e-daily that as of press time, he has not received any cancellation reports from members.

He also added that there were no cancellations for meetings, which is a significant market for hotels in Jakarta, especially for those located along the main business district of Jalan Thamrin-Sudirman.

However, he noted that cafes and restaurants along these streets, where businessmen usually hold business lunches, were quiet.

Vivi Herlambang, corporate director, sales, marketing and business development at Sahid International Hotel, said while meetings continued at Grand Sahid Jaya today, there were a couple of cancellations from the hotel’s Japanese clients.

Meanwhile, Artotel Jakarta reported that a few of its hotel guests have requested to check out earlier.

Famous suspension bridge on Langkawi Island

MALAYSIA’s Kedah state government hopes to increase domestic and international footfall through its year-long Discover Kedah 2016 campaign.

It is aiming for 5 million tourists this year, comprising 63 per cent domestic and 37 per cent foreign arrivals, expected to bring a total of RM5.87 billion (US$1.33 billion) in revenue to the northern state.

Zulkifli Mohamad, CEO of Kedah Tourism, said: “Langkawi has a strong brand and an international airport and through this campaign, we want people to associate Langkawi with Kedah. When they visit Langkawi, we also want them to extend their holiday to the mainland.” Traditionally, the islands of Langkawi often overshadows the Kedah mainland and has more developed tourism products.

The campaign will target tourists from the ASEAN region, China, South Korea and Japan. It will also target Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries through charter flights.

Products promoted in the campaign include the Alor Setar Heritage Trail, Merbok River Cruise, Sedim river and tree top walk, Ulu Legong Hot Spring, Mount Keriang Cave and Kedah Paddy Museum.

To lure more domestic tourists, Kedah Tourism will be involved in the upcoming MITA Tourism Fair, organised by the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Organisation. It will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from January 29 to 31.

The inaugural fair will highlight attractions and products within Malaysia, aimed at promoting domestic tourism.

DORSETT Putrajaya, a 218-key property located at Precinct 3 in Putrajaya, is set for a soft launch on January 16 with 43 rooms first available. The remaining rooms will open progressively and the property is expected to be fully operational in early-May.

Nearby attractions include Putrajaya Maritime Centre, Putrajaya Lake Club and Palladium Mall, while government departments such as the National Registration, Customs, Ministry of Health and Federal Court of Malaysia are also within walking distance.

For meeting spaces, its pillarless ballroom seats up to three hundred pax while smaller groups can fit into its five function rooms.

Dorsett Putrajaya also houses the city’s first rooftop infinity pool and rooftop gym equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

Ally Bhoonee, executive director of World Avenues, said: “The opening of Dorsett Putrajaya provides more choices for leisure and MICE tourists as well as tour operators seeking midscale hotels, as most of the existing hotels in Putrajaya are five-star properties.”

THAILAND is expecting to generate 2.41 trillion baht (US$66.4 billion) in tourism revenue this year, of which 1.56 trillion baht is expected to come from international markets while the remaining 0.85 trillion baht will come from domestic travel.

In 2015, Thailand generated 2.23 trillion baht of which 1.44 trillion came from international markets and 0.79 trillion came from the domestic sector.

Deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusripitak said Thailand should place an emphasis on domestic travel as part of the country’s goal to maintain tourism competitiveness and sustainable market share.

“The tourism ministry and TAT have been assigned to brainstorm and introduce policies to drive the country’s tourism forward,” said Jatusripitak. “One project that needs to be discussed is One District One Tourist Destination to add more value to popular destinations as well as create new destinations through a storyline to encourage travellers to explore new places.”

He also noted that quality of souvenirs, tourism activities and public streets need to be developed further. As well, authorities are encouraged to seek cooperation with neighbouring countries like Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam to strengthen Thailand’s gateway status in South-east Asia.

Other plans to boost domestic travel include urging airlines to open new destinations and increase frequencies, as well as launching a new campaign, Thai Chuai Thai, proposed by TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, which rewards Thai travellers with a lucky draw worth one million baht every month. An even bigger draw every quarter is also proposed.

“We are now discussing with the airlines and hotels to offer discounts to encourage Thais to travel in the country, particularly long-weekend holiday offers and specific travel packages to tap niche markets, such as government officials, corporate incentives, students, retirees and sports enthusiasts,” said Supasorn.