With chalky white beaches, azure seas, palm trees around every turn, and pleasant temperatures all year round, the island of Bali in Indonesia has long established itself as a vacation paradise for tourists from all over the world.
In 2019, the holiday island was visited by up to six million tourists. But then the Corona crisis came and put an effective end to tourism, which is the most important source of income in Bali.
Because in Bali, where tourism accounts for half the economy, most things have been stagnant for months, with hotels, restaurants and beaches closed. As a result, thousands of jobs have disappeared, the news agency wrote Reuters.
So it’s no surprise that large parts of the country’s tourism industry rejoiced when Bali opened Thursday to travelers from several countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
“The reopening of international flights to Bali is expected to gradually address the economy,” Corona Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjitan said at a press conference on Monday, according to the Indonesian News Agency. between.
The visitor must earn at least 600,000
Visitors must be fully vaccinated or take two tests for corona before the flight and after arrival. After that, the quarantine remains for five days.
– Everyone was waiting for this. A restaurateur says tourism is the backbone of Bali Watchman.
“Quality Tourists”
But the pandemic has also sparked a heated debate about the role of tourism in Bali. Some believe the island should become less dependent on tourism and develop other areas of its economy instead.
The most exciting suggestion came from Pandjaitan mentioned above, as in an interview with local newspapers sun bali Announced in September a ban on backpacking tourism.
– We aim for good tourism in Bali, so we will not allow backpackers to enter when it is officially reopened in the near future, he said according to the newspaper and its follow-up:
New Paradise Holiday: – Desperate Situation
– We will liquidate the tourists. We don’t want backpackers to come to Bali clean now. We want excellent tourists.
Bali and its many surrounding islands have for decades been a magnet for tourists from all over the world. Therefore, the Corona Minister’s statements quickly got off to a good start.
Shortly thereafter, a correction came from Pandjaitan’s office, which confirmed that it was referring to tourists who did not comply with infection control rules during the pandemic.
Ryanair bans passengers
Parasites
He is far from the only politician who wants that He said the tourism sector will focus on attracting “distinguished tourists.” Watchman.
The head of Bali’s tourism agency, I Putu Astawa, says the island hopes to attract tourists who want to spend more money, stay longer and have better “attitudes”.
He then refers to tourists who did not follow the rules of Corona, who worked illegally on tourist visas or broke the law in other ways.
– They are parasites that we have to get used to and we have to follow, says Astawa, according to the paper.
biggest mistake
The governor of Bali, Ian Coster, said recently that foreign investors were left with most of the benefits of tourism on the island.
– The news site said Bali’s biggest mistake is relying too much on tourism Secondly.
Meanwhile, the governor announced that his administration is working on a concept that focuses on making the most of local resources, thus creating opportunities that do not depend solely on tourism.
Indonesia has recorded more than four million cases of infection and more than 140,000 deaths related to corona.