VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vaccination campaign key for revival of Bali's tourism industry - Birkom Kemenparekraf

The COVID-19 pandemic has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises, like many other countries in the world.

Tourism has been the worst affected by the impact of the pandemic, and the tourism industry of Bali, one of the world's most famous tourist resorts, has been especially hit hard by COVID-19.

Since the country recorded its first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020, the Indonesian government has been determined to win the battle against COVID-19. From January 13 this year, the government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program to arrest the spread of infections.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) reviewed the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Gianyar and Denpasar, Bali province on March 16, 2021, and said he was optimistic that bringing the coronavirus infection under control would help revive the island's tourism industry around the middle of this year.

Accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Tourism and Creative Economic Minister Sandiaga Uno, and Bali Governor Wayan Koster, Widodo held dialogs with Balinese religious and community leaders as well as frontline public servants to ensure that the vaccination program is implemented properly and successfully as it is key for the revival of tourism.The Balinese people must remain optimistic, as "hope is on the way”, he said. The economy in Bali is expected to recover soon amid the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination program, he added.

He also spoke of the reopening of three COVID-19 green zones in Bali for tourism amid a marked decrease in the number of daily coronavirus cases nationwide.

"I see that in the province of Bali, we want to concentrate on three designated green zones, specifically Ubud, Sanur, and Nusa Dua. We are optimistic of these becoming green zones, green areas that we can fully open to tourists," he remarked.

The Bali authorities have so far administered COVID-19 vaccines to tourist industry players, religious leaders, and cultural and youth representatives, among others, the President noted.

"Hence, later, they (tourists) will feel safe and comfortable staying in Bali. With our focus on these three zones, revival of the tourism sector in Bali province will start," he added.

In addition to the vaccination program, a strict and disciplined implementation of health protocols is a must in Bali, according to Minister Uno.Earlier, in February this year, Uno had met with the Bali Governor to highlight the importance of vaccinating 1.2 million tourism-related workers in Bali to boost public trust in the resort island.

"We pray for Bali's immediate recovery. If the tourism sector revives, the economy will get back on track. Speaking of Indonesia's tourism, it will never be separated from Bali," he remarked.Uno, during an online dialog on ‘Vaccination Comes, Tourism Shines’ on March 1 this year, unveiled a plan to reopen Bali and other destinations for tourists through the Free COVID Corridor Program.

The government is making sure to exercise caution as it examines the possibility of reopening green zones, or areas with the lowest risk of COVID-19 transmission, he said.

The plan for the designation of green zones in Bali includes Nusa Dua and Ubud, and can be expanded to cover Nusa Penida and several other areas to align with the local government's directives, he stated.

"We want to get more ready in line with the downward trend of COVID-19 cases, particularly in Bali. We are mulling over reopening green zones for tourists from several countries, such as China, Singapore, and other countries," he revealed.The minister spoke of having invited several ambassadors to personally bear witness to the government's preparedness to open tourist destinations in Bali and other regions.

However, Uno noted that the plan to reopen the tourist destinations will hinge largely on endeavors to handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Bali.

Tourism industry players have lauded the government’s plan to reopen Bali island to international tourists by the middle of this year, offering a much-needed lifeline to beleaguered tourism businesses and operators.Besides, to maintain tourism sustainability, he hoped the government would roll out stimulus or incentives, especially for tourist agencies to help them restart operations that have been halted for over a year. Such stimulus measures, he said, can be in the form of a soft loan for capital, marketing cost incentives, relaxation for foreign tourists who come to Indonesia, and tourism grants//ANT