Bali hospitality must be prepared for re-opening

Image: Tourists will be back. InterContinental Resort. Credit: ihg.com

As the Bali hospitality industry keeps its eye on the plateauing numbers of Covid-19 cases on the island, with some even saying they are in decline, they are already preparing to face the new era that confronts the industry in the coming months. This new normal, as it has now been coined, is being accompanied by new SOPs and training in HR departments, according to Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association (IHGMA) of Bali, Ketut Swabawa.

According to Swabawa, this is not the first time Bali has faced such a new era. The first being the first Bali bombing, which quickly changed security standards, culminating in hotel security management certification.

“The hotel industry created a hotel security management certification process after that incident. There were new standards that had to be applied, which were assessed by auditors from the police, related associations, the government and hotel experts,” he told BaliPost on Monday (5/25).

At that time, it became the norm and eventually was considered necessary by the hospitality community. “We need to remind all parties that this new era discourse should not be considered a burden or a threat to the business and hotel industry. Psychosomatic dangers can affect the perpetrators’ efforts toward mental readiness to face future changes,” he said.

So, according to Swabawa, there must be a clear time frame for the new normal to begin. The conditions must be understood for the direction of the functional points.

“When tourism is opened, what will be the technical aspects and so on? It must be clear, not partial and nor individual. And thus, the readiness at the re-opening of Bali, is able to make tourists who come, and the Balinese people, feel calm and confident,” he said.

Because according to him, as long as the Covid-19 pandemic is still prevalent and there are still positive people without symptoms (OTG), it must be controlled. There must be no second wave. This he said, would certainly be dangerous for the Balinese people, the tourists and the good name of Bali.

“In essence, hotels and local industries are ready for emergencies, as well as recovery. Even SOPs are continuously being updated according to the conditions of this new era. Especially in cleanliness, hygiene and safety as certainly the treatment between normal and new normal conditions is different,” he explained.

ST reached out to The Bali Hotel Association for comment, who said that SOPs are just about finished for their members.