A keen sense of deja vu for Bali tourism

They came to promote Bali, only to find the job a whole lot tougher when bombs ripped apart their homeland. Again.

Within a few short hours of touching down in Auckland, the 18 representatives of non-profit tourism organisation Bali Village were forced to relive the experience of the 2002 bombings all over again.

The group of hoteliers, travel agents and tour operators representing 200 tourism-affiliated industries in Bali are here as part of their annual Australasian promotional tour.

There was a sense of deja vu when they heard the news close to midnight on Saturday.

Three years ago, they had arrived in Australia for their first promotional visit only to catch the next available flight back to Bali when they learned of the devastating October blasts which claimed 202 lives.

This time, they were determined to press on.

Spokesman Herdy Sayogha said there was a lot at stake. "Tourism is the life we have chosen. The Bali economy is relying more than 70 per cent on the tourism industry. So when business goes down, everybody suffers.

"When we left Bali, things were nearly back to normal, you know, as it was before. But these events might be a different scenario. It's like a wound that's almost recovered but then you hit it again. It might take a while to re-convince people. It very much depends on what appropriate things we can do," said Mr Sayogha.

The visitors' Auckland agenda had been based on the island's new offerings for tourists, but by Sunday morning talk had turned to security.

Mr Sayogha said they would use their meeting with New Zealand travel agents and tour operators last night to get suggestions on putting Bali back on the tourist map.

"When you're talking about tourism, safety and security is one of the most important aspects."

Bali tourism operators had done much since the first bomb attacks, including introducing security systems of international standards and training staff to respond to emergencies.

"But I guess our best is not enough, so we just have to do a lot better."

Mr Sayogha was philosophical about the latest blasts. "We have gone through difficult times, and we also went through good times."

The group is going on to Sydney and Perth before returning to Bali on Thursday.