DENPASAR ~ In support of the Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program, the Balinese government has budgeted Rp2.5 billion (US$271,000) for the promotion of tourism, a spokesman said.

The chief of the Bali Tourism Board, I Gede Nurjaya, said that officers of his team had been preparing materials such as brochures, stickers and guidebooks to be distributed in Germany, England, Japan, China, India and Malaysia.

“I had first intended to promote Bali tourism in 10 countries, but the budget was limited. We had to narrow our scope down to only six countries,” Nurjaya said.

“Some materials are still in the process of being made, for instance, the Japanese-language editions of the brochures and guidebooks,” he said.

In addition to promoting the allure of peace and safety on the island in order to attract more tourists, the chief said he also hoped to improve the international image of Bali overall.

He said a lack of direct flights to Indonesia deterred tourism.

“Tourists still have to transit in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,” he said.

Nirjaya said the promotional program would launch in Germany at the international event ITB; the team is set to leave in early March. From Germany, the team would travel to the other five countries and return to Bali in November, he said.