The year 2014 is being greeted by many tourism stakeholders in Bali with
pessimism as many challenges need to be faced.
Although the Bali Tourism Agency has declared a target
of 3.5 million foreign tourists in 2014, a 10 per cent increase on this year’s
target of 3.18 million vacationers, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika is
pessimistic over the target.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Pastika said that
Bali would likely find it hard to attract more than 3 million foreign tourists
next year, partly due to the impact of the nation’s general election in 2014.
“In 2014, we can’t hope for more than 3 million
foreign tourists as 2014 is a political year. We will be very busy with
politics. But I remain optimistic that we could reach at least 3 million,”
Pastika said.
Pastika said that tourist arrivals would be boosted by
many international events being held on the resort island. “I remain optimistic
that tourists will continue to visit Bali. As in 2013, many international
conferences will be held here in 2014,” he said.
Pastika added that Bali would remain safe for
tourists, despite the general election. “I think all Balinese have a menyama
braya [brotherhood] spirit, and all of us realize the importance of maintaining
security and peace on the island. I don’t think anyone would riot on the island
as all residents love Bali,” Pastika said.
The provincial Tourism Agency recorded that more than
2.97 million foreigners had visited the resort island during the
January-November period, an increase of 13.38 per cent on the same period last
year. The agency is optimistically targeting a total 3.18 million foreign
tourists for the year by the end of December.
The total number of foreign travelers coming to Bali
in 2012 was around 2.89 million people, 96.4 per cent of the target set.
Politician and legislative council member Made Arjaya
acknowledged that the 2014 general election would make security vulnerable
nationwide as conflicts could happen. “It is logical that the administration
does not set a high target for tourist arrivals next year as the general
election will be held,” he said.
However, he felt sure that Balinese would maintain
peace on their island. “We have local wisdom that will keep our island secure,”
he said.
Pessimism over tourism in 2014 was also acknowledged
by Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, head of the Bali office of the Indonesian Tourism
Industry Association (GIPI).
“We forecast that Bali will only attain a maximum 2
per cent increase in tourist arrivals compared to 2013,” Wijaya said.
However, Wijaya said that the pessimism over Bali’s
tourism in 2014 was not related to the general election. “I am really sure that
the general election will not affect tourist arrivals into Bali. Based on our
experience, general elections have never impacted tourist arrivals to Bali. The
international community is confident that Bali will remain secure during the
election, as usual,” he said.
He added that 2014 would be a challenging year for
Bali for various reasons. “We have limited flights to Bali. So, it is very hard
to boost tourist arrivals,” he said.
Besides flights, Wijaya added that Bali was no longer
a favorite destination for many tourists. “Bali is no longer popular for
cultural tourism. Too much physical construction has made tourists
uncomfortable. This is the most important challenge for us facing 2014,” he
said.
Ni Komang Erviani
The Jakarta Post
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated
in Singapore since 1994.
No comments:
Post a Comment