- History of Indonesia
· 7th century Indians brought Hinduism and Buddhism to Indonesia
· Muslims arrived in the late 13th century, and by the end of the 16th century it was the most dominant religion in the country
· Europeans arrived in the 16th century looking for spices
· Dutch dominated Indonesia until WWII when the Japanese occupation pushed the Dutch out
· Declared independence 2 days after Japan surrendered in Aug 1945
· Attempted coup in 1965: 500,000 killed
· 1997 Asian financial crisis devalued Indonesian Rupiah 80% causing riots; AFC caused most damage to Indonesia
· 1998 bloody violence and riots in response to leadership
· Now a democracy – President is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
- Terrorism in Indonesia
· 2000 – Jakarta stock exchange
o Car bomb exploded in underground garage
· 2000 – Christmas Eve bombings
o Targeted churches throughout Jakarta & surrounding cities
· 2002 – Bali bombings
o October 12th, 2002 in Kuta
o Used car bomb, suicide bomber and small bomb
o Two nightclubs in Kuta & US embassy bombed
o 202 people killed & 209 injured
o Majority foreigners (especially Australians) killed
o Members of Jemaah Islamiyah, violent Islamist group, convicted
(Osama Bin Laden said it was direct retaliation for Indonesia’s support of US War on Terrorism and the East Timor conflict)
· 2003 – Marriott hotel bombing
o August 5th, 2003 in Jakarta
o Suicide bomber and car bomb outside lobby
o Marriott hotel
o 12 people killed & 150 injured
o 8 Indonesians killed, 1 Dutch, 1 Danish, 2 Chinese
o Hotel was chosen because of its American brand name
o Al Qaeda claimed responsibility of the attacks and bomber was member of JI – attack came 2 days before verdict in 2002 Bali bombing trials
· 2004 – Australian embassy
o September 9, 2004 in Jakarta
o Suicide bomber & car bomb
o 9 killed & 200 injured
o JI claimed responsibility for attacks because Indonesia didn’t release their head
· 2005 – Bali bombings
o October 1st, 2005 in Jimbaran & Kuta
o Coordinated suicide bombers (3) and car bombs
o Food courts and warungs that foreigners frequent
o 20 people killed & 129 injured
o Majority foreigners (Australians)
o Same day that gas prices rose 675% and 11 days before anniversary of 2002 bombings
o Believed to be orchestrated by same group as 2002, JI
· July 2009 – Jakarta hotel bombings @ JW Marriott & Ritz-Carlton
o July 17th, 2009
o Suicide bombers who checked into the hotels days earlier
o Bombs went off 5 minutes apart from each other, first was at JW Marriott
o 9 killed, including the bombers – 16 injured
o Thought to be orchestrated by a former member of the JI, Noordin Mohammed Top, who set up his own splinter cell Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad
· Detachment 88 is the Indonesian government’s anti-terror group which is funded, trained and equipped by the US
o Formed in 2003 after Bali attacks
o 400 employees
o Assisted by Australian and other Western forces
o Can use US special forces to wiretap and read text messages of Indonesian civilians
- Why Target Bali?
· Indonesia is the world’s most populated Islamic nation, yet Bali is predominantly HINDU (so an attack there wouldn’t kill as many Muslims)
· WESTERN tourist destination and can cause financial ripples throughout the economy – also does not have a significant military presence like the rest of Indonesia, making it an easy target
· One of the wealthiest parts of Indonesia due to the heavy tourism industry, whereas most of Indonesia is dependent upon manufacturing and agriculture
Results of Bali Attacks
· Direct international tourist arrivals declined dramatically
o Compounded by “unsafe” domestic airlines
· Wide-spread loss of revenues to the tourism industry (hotels, restaurants, bars, retail & other vendors, taxis)
· More domestic tourists as opposed to foreign, which resulted in lowering of rates
o The domestic tourists also spent 50-75% less than the foreign tourists per day and stayed for an average of 7 days less
· Negative impact on Bali’s image amongst Westerners
· Indonesia placed on Western country’s watch lists
· BHA formed to standardize procedures with Bali for hotels to cope with various situations such as tsunamis, terrorist attacks, etc.
- Potential Threats
· Places with high concentrations of Western visitors
· Brand names associated with Western lifestyles (hotels, fast food, etc.)
· Western symbols such as embassies and consulates
· Places which do not conform to the moral standards of strict Muslims (i.e. bars)
· Airports/Airplanes
- Recovery period for tourism industry
· Economy started bouncing back as quickly as 2003/2004
· Just as Bali was recovering from the 2002 bombing, another bombing occurred in 2005 – causing concern amongst tourists
· However, in 2008 the US took Bali off the terror watch list causing an influx in the number of American tourists
· 2009 should have been a good year for the island, however due to the global financial crisis, many visitors have postponed their trips
· The tourism industry of Bali is looking forward to 2010 and 2011
· Has not fully recovered yet
- What are hotels/restaurants/clubs/bars doing about it?
· Increased security
· Must maintain balance between luxury and security
Metal detectors, pylons, CCTV, security cameras
· No parking zones in front of hotels and restaurants
· Contact and flow of information between government agencies and hotels (embassies, local and federal governments)
- How to be safe on our trip
· Be vigilant and identify risks before they become reality
· Avoid major Western/tourist hotspots without security
Sources: www.wikipedia.org & Alexander Kespar (BHA)
(sorry about the formatting, tried to fix it -- this was the best)
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Continuing with our earlier posting and responding to Sherri’s comment, Mr. Michael Burchett referred us to Mr. Alex Kespar from Bali Hotels Association who helps coordinate safety and security efforts amongst
Mr. Burchett commented that “today’s travelers expect a high level of security, and for it to be visual, but not intrusive.” Therefore, hotels must maintain this delicate balance and focus on surpassing safety and security standards while respecting the personal space of the guests.
The following provides more insight into managing terrorism and threat countermeasures in
Most Recent Warnings of Terrorism Attacks
- According to BBC News on
- The methods of attack are becoming increasingly high-tech and difficult to detect. For example, a baby-simulator has been used to smuggle explosives.
What are hotels/restaurants/clubs/bars doing about it?
- Maintaining constant communication with Bali Hotels Association, which corresponds with embassies and other entities, and then distribute regular updates and alerts to BHA members.
- Increasing security and threat countermeasure equipment: secured property entrances with pylons and boom gates, CCTV cameras and recording equipment, under-car detection equipment, bomb detection devices, shatter proof glass on the ground floor, restricted parking in front of entrances, metal detectors, personal screening devices and beach towers.
- Monitoring and improving safety and security standards and threat countermeasure equipment.
- Working with local communities to detect and report suspicious behavior.
- Emphasizing to the communities that professional searching and security must be incorporated into the local culture because of these terrorist events.
- Communicating and posting information via public websites, embassy alerts, and trip registration announcements.
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It will be interesting to see what our hosts have to say about this. Michael Burchette, the GM of the Conrad and former president of the Bali Hotel Association has been instrumental in helping hotels respond to this.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to note that attacks on hotels are targeted at assets affiliated to Western chains (in this case Marriott). I wonder how much of a factor this is for hotel developers to consider while choosing a brand to be affiliated with for future projects (for example say a trade off between Marriott or Jumeira)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was studying in Thailand two years ago, we had a class about the terrorism in Southeast Asia. Bali was the No.1 case in the class. The ability of facing crisis was tested on this issue. I think the most important and valuable thing we should pay attention to is how we can learn from those tragedies, and use the experience to protect us worldwide in the future.
ReplyDeleteBoth comments are quite interesting. It does seem that Western chains are targeted more--your question about brand affiliation is a good one. But, I wonder if it's because it's a Western chain or because most of the guests are Westerners? What do you think?
ReplyDeleteAnd Aaron, your comment is quite appropriate. It's such a hard thing to balance. You obviously want to protect the safety of your guests and staff, but at a certain point, security measures can become quite onerous. What's the right balance?
I remember about 10 years ago that I was in Manila right when Estrada was getting kicked out. There had been all sorts of bombings etc. around the city, lots of protests were going on right outside the hotel and guests had to go through security (sort of like severe airport security) just to come into the hotel. Obviously, this was a necessary precaution, but it seemed very weird at the time.
I agree with comments posted and believe that the attacks are planned to target tourist from the west.Attacks during October 2002 aimed two of the most popular nightclubs.I believe it is not about whether the hotel company is from west or not but about the clientele who uses the hotel services.It is a challenge for the hotel to prepare themselves against these attacks but somethings are beyond hotel'scontrol.The attacks on Mariott in Karachi during september 2008 involved a truck of suicide bomber who barged into the hotel through main entrance proves the fact that hotels have a big but limited role to ensre safety of their guest's and assets.
ReplyDeleteWe have added an update at the bottom of the post with more information ..
ReplyDeleteAs to whether brands are targeted for their guests or their brand, across our research it seemed as though it was both equally. Western tourists usually prefer to stay in western branded hotels which make them an easy target for terrorists.
I agree with Sherri- while having checks makes me feel a bit safer; sometimes, all the checks and "safety procedures" can be quite onerous, particularly when the guards doing the checks do not appear to be as vigilant and are just going through the motions. I stayed at JW Marriott in Jakarta throughout 2006 and got so tired of the car checks going into the driveway because I saw how some guards would just pop open the trunk and not even glance at what's inside. In Manila, mall security guards are required to pat down every one entering the mall after waving a metal detector and also ask guests to open bags for inspection. What's frustrating is that with the number of shoppers wanting to get in, the guards, take barely 3 seconds to go through the procedures! I agree that the security measures are necessary evil, but I do hope that they are implemented properly to be of any real use.
ReplyDeleteSuzy you bring up really valid points and emphasize the fact that hotels must hire and train associates to follow safety systems and preventative procedures. Many international hotels receive consulting services from global security companies. They train associates on these processes, but also the importance of their roles in detection and prevention. If an associate is "going through the motions," then they may not understand their role and purpose and may think that nothing will happen at their hotel. If managers/supervisors see this activity, then they should swap the associate out so the associates are always vigilant and on guard.
ReplyDeleteFYI - There is a memorial that was erected in memory of those that passed at the first Bali bombing at the Paddy's Pub on Legian Street. Link for picture below. I am sure we can find more information in regards to how these bombings impacted not only tourists but also the locals as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://images.google.com.sg/imglanding?q=bali%20bombing%20memorial&imgurl=http://www.tripworld.biz/Main/destination/asia/indonesia/bali/scenery/memorial.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tripworld.biz/bali.htm&usg=__ZcMiXm4gPYeVLrW3mDTq1DBljIQ=&h=375&w=500&sz=41&hl=en&sig2=S7vjFn0gOzauzD5QO0N_uQ&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=up2pnN_IUSOc6M:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbali%2Bbombing%2Bmemorial%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=0TF-S8ehDtO6rAf_t8z_Dw&um=1&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=nVuH8rTwYiXNfM&start=6
It is interesting to read and note the above points on security but I guess we are living in times today where we cannot do without such checks in hotels
ReplyDeleteIt was a slightly unpleasant sight for me when I went to Mumbai this time to the flagship hotel of our chain,The Taj Mahal Mumbai.
The gates through which guests could walk in and out freely greeted by uniquely dressed guards today seem to be like a check in counter at the airport.
There are machines installed where the baggage of all guests are thoroughly screened as also the guests entering the hotel.It appears to be inhospitable on the face of it but I guess it is unavoidable in the times that we live today.
To add on the employees are also checked in a similar manner
The attacks are targeted because Bali has a huge influx of tourists from the West.
ReplyDeleteIndonesia is afterall rather conservative and many of its people are Muslim. The terrorists are unhappy that Bali has 'adapted' to the western culture. By right (or so I heard), evening (onwards) activities are prohibited, no drinking, no partying etc. However, the culture in Bali has changed such that it is not so Bali anymore due to the accomodation of the tourists from the West. The terrorists attributed it to the influence from the West. They did not realise how important Bali was in boosting their economy.
In fact, it was not just Bali that was targeted. Even Singapore was not spared (just that the plot was discovered and intervened in time). Lots of stories but best told not written for obvious reasons ;p
Imagine, HardRock Bali before the first bombing was at least SGD800++ for 3D2N. After the bombing, I think it went as low as SGD300++ and probably didn't pick up ever since.
This post is probably the closest to me due to my own personal experience at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai. While I understand the concerns of many travellers about security; I would also like to add that Hospitality and security don't go hand in hand. As Sibi mentioned in his post, there is nothing pleasant about being greeted by metal detectors at a luxury hotel. I am curios to see how visitors will react to the bomb guards and under-car detection equipment, etc. I may also add that despite all measures taken, one can only hope to achieve a superficial mental peace; for when a uncontrolled shooter approaches any establishment, there is nothing anyone can do unless they have armed security. It would be nice to hear from Mr Burchett if this is a possibility for hotels.
ReplyDeleteBack to my comment about being in Manila. There was a wedding going on at the hotel. All of the guests (and the gifts they had brought) had to go through metal detectors etc. before being allowed to enter the hotel. It didn't seem or feel very hospitable, but given that there had been several bombings nearby, it was probably necessary. And, on the morning we were leaving, I noticed that there no cars in the parking lot. I asked the GM what was going on and he said he'd had them all removed to protect the hotel from a possible car-bombing. Oh my. But, I guess the question here is how do you balance the security and hospitality?
ReplyDelete