Bali honors John M. Daniels for service to tourism

John M. Daniels, the President Director of Bali Discovery Tours was recognized recently by the Government of the island of Bali for his dedication and long service to promoting local culture through tourism.

At a presentation dinner held at the official residence of Bali’s Governor, Mr. Daniels was the sole non-Balinese in a group of 12 recipients of the Karyakarana Pariwsata Award – the highest award for tourism service the can be bestowed by the island of Bali. Those honored were selected by a blue-ribbon panel Bali community leaders based on their proved dedication in preserving and promoting Balinese culture and tourism.

Mr. Daniels, originally from Michigan and an honors graduate of Michigan State University, first visited Indonesia in 1973 as part of a semester-abroad program organized by the American University Field Staff, returning to reside permanently since 1977. Over the years he has held management positions in the airline, hotel and cruise shipping industries before establishing Bali Discovery Tours in 2000.

Bali Discovery Tours is a destination management company and professional conference management company. The Company also annually publishes Bali’s only comprehensive guides to meetings and conferences distributed to corporate decision makers word-wide; runs www.balidiscovery.com ; and publishes a weekly Internet newsletter.

Active in the local community, Mr. Daniels has headed a number of fund raising programs donating his time to foundations that provide cranial-facial surgery to Indonesian children, raised funds for the establishment of an American Studies Center at the University of Indonesia, assisted the Jakarta Zoo in developing its white tiger collection and served as the Chairman for the local Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Chapter.

During his tenure as PATA Chairman Mr. Daniels earned two separate Chapter awards and launched the bid for the PATA Conference held in Bali in April 2004. He is Member of the PATA Indonesia Hall of Fame and a recipient of the PATA Bali Award of Excellence, and twice named by PATA in Indonesia a the “travel personality of the year.” Rotary Indonesia awarded Mr. Daniels the “Service Above Self” in recognition of his service to the local community in 1989.

Prior to his latest recognition from the people of Bali, Mr. Daniels received the Adikarya Wisata award in 1995, presented personally by the Republic’s President for his services to tourism development and a letter of commendation from the Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture in 1999 for “significant contribution to the success of tourism development in Bali.”

The holder of accreditation by the American Hotel and Motel Association as a Certified Hotel Administrator, Mr. Daniels is regularly featured as a speaker at international conferences and seminars on tourism and development issues.

Honored with the Karyakarana Pariwisata Award together with Mr. Daniels were: Inspector General of Police Made Mangku Pastika, the Chief of Police for Bali and Time Magazine Asian Newsmaker of the Year for his work in investigating the Bali terrorist attacks; Mr. Anak Agung Gede Rai, the former President Director of the Bali Tourism Development Corporation and spokesperson for the Bali Tourism Board; the late Professor Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra, who served as Governor of Bali 1978-1988; the late Mr. I Nyoman Oka an early pioneer in the tour and guide industry; Mr. Ida Bagoes Kompyang who established Sanur Beach’s Segara Village Hotel; the late Mr. Bagus Soedana, a Balinese hotel and tour operator who surveyed and organized among the first dive tours to Bali; Mr. Pande Wayan Suteja Neka the founder of the Neka Museum of Art in Ubud; the late Mr. Ketut Pater Sursha, an innovator in developing Balinese cultural attractions and visionary tourism leader who championed the “one-million visitor” campaign at a time tourism was still in its infancy; Professor Drs. Ida Bagus Adnyana Manuaba who established a tourism degree program at Udayana University; the late Mr. Anak Agung Pandji Tisna a well-known Balinese novelist who established the first guest house in North Bali; and Drs. I Wayan Geriya an anthropologist who has lobbied for legislation to protect Bali’s cultural values make tourism development economically sustainable.