Deputy Minister of Tourism of Indonesia: "Bali tourism requires one year in advance booking" Rumors of false tourism | Indonesia | Deputy Minister
On June 30th, Ayu Matini, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, stated that rumors that "Bali tourism needs to be booked one year in advance" are not true, and Bali and even the entire Indonesia still welcome tourists from all over the world.
On the 30th, Ayu Matini stated at a press conference that Indonesia's current visa policy has not changed, and tourists can enter popular tourist attractions in Indonesia such as Bali through landing visas and electronic landing visas.
"Heaven" wants to "limit flow"?
The news that tourists in Bali need to make an appointment one year in advance first came from the website of Indonesian English language media "Indonesian Overseas Chinese Newspaper" in the English speaking world. This is a newspaper that provides "life plans" for foreigners and English speaking Indonesians, with a wired website platform. The media reported on May 5th that the Bali Provincial Government will implement a quota system for foreign tourists.
According to the article, on May 4th, Balinese Governor Wayan Kester said in an interview with reporters that "the quota system will be implemented in the next 100 years." The Balinese provincial government stated that many tourists from abroad have engaged in misconduct, offending the local culture of Bali regarding religion, customs, order, and so on. Kester claimed that some foreign tourists in Bali have violated traffic rules and engaged in store operations under tourist visas.
The Indonesian national news agency Antara also reported on Kester's remarks. "With such tourism industry control measures in place, there will be no recent cases, and Bali will not become a cheap mass tourism destination... We will first issue a regional regulation," said Kester.
According to the New York Times on March 25th, a Russian internet celebrity climbed up a 700 year old Hindu holy tree in Bali naked. Since the full-scale outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict last February, many tourists from Ukraine and Russia have arrived in Bali to avoid the impact of the war. In Bali, a motorcycle collision broke out between Russians and Ukrainians, causing many people to question the traffic safety of Bali.
Bali is a globally renowned tourist attraction, even considered a "paradise on earth" by some tourists. In the past three years, Bali's tourism industry has suffered a heavy blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Economic Daily on June 25th, over 60% of Bali's fiscal revenue comes from the tourism industry. During the epidemic, Bali's economy suffered a severe contraction, with a growth rate approaching -10%, ranking last domestically in Indonesia.
As countries around the world come out of the COVID-19 and the blockade of the border is lifted, Bali's tourism industry is very eager for tourists to come, and Koster's remarks have caused widespread controversy.
Is the entry policy centrally managed?
According to the authoritative Indonesian media "Time" magazine on May 9th, Kost's remarks have elicited a response from Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creativity, Sandiaga. "Sandiaga is willing to take a more optimistic view of Kester's controversial remarks, believing that Kester is trying to maintain the sustainability of Bali's customs and development," but such a quota system is unheard of in the tourism industry, "Sandiaga said. He believes that such an entry system can only be applied to certain specific places, and tourism is not within this scope. He emphasized that the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism still hopes to achieve the goal of attracting 8.5 million tourists to Indonesia and 4.5 million tourists to Bali.
To avoid causing controversy on social media, Sandiaga said he will have the tourism department arrange a dedicated team to investigate Kester's proposal. He does not want the public to be confused by Kester's remarks.
On June 30th, Deputy Governor of Bali, Zokorda, stated at a press conference that policies related to Indonesia's entry and exit are a matter of the central government, and such issues should not be responded to by local governments, but should be handed over to relevant departments of the central government.
According to the Indonesian International Daily on June 19th, Indonesia's visa free entry policy for most countries is still suspended, and Indonesia currently only provides visa free entry convenience to ASEAN countries and East Timor tourists. Ahmad Nur, Deputy Coordinator of Public Relations at the Immigration Department of the Indonesian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, explained that the temporary cancellation of visa free entry policies by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights is to avoid disruptions to public order and also takes into account factors related to infectious diseases.
On June 30th, Ayu Martini said, "Don't believe such rumors. Indonesia does not require tourists to make an 'appointment one year in advance' to come to Bali for tourism, which will not affect Chinese tourists traveling to Indonesia."
