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BALI plans to apply for subsidized air transportation accommodation to the central government to attract tourists to vacation to the Island of the Gods.
According to the Head of the Bali Tourism Office, I Putu Astawa, said the subsidy is expected to provide a discount on flight costs which have been quite burdensome for tourists. With the subsidy, tourists are expected to get a 20% to 30% discount on airplane accommodation costs. However, the certainty of the provision of subsidies and their amount will still await the decision of the central government.
“We will propose but we do not yet know how much the government’s ability to provide subsidies, we will discuss it with the Ministry and BUMN,” he said.
In addition to flight subsidies, Astawa assessed that other incentives that can also be provided include entrance tickets for tourist attractions. The subsidies that will be proposed soon are expected to restore tourism in Bali.
“We will propose that there are subsidies or incentives for tourists to be able to access trips to Bali cheaper through airline subsidies, but they can also be extended to tourist objects so that they can help restore our tourism,” he noted.
Although the policy to impose restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Bali has been extended, Astawa assessed that it does not mean that tourism should be closed. PPKM is considered to be able to keep the tourism sector running by implementing health protocols.
Astawa admitted that the tourism recovery that was being proposed by his party would not necessarily shift to normal conditions. However, this effort is considered to be enough to help tourism actors in Bali, who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for almost 10 months.
“If we believe that with subsidies, people will be more enthusiastic about coming to Bali. Previously, Bali had received tourism grants worth Rp1.1 trillion to be used for handling the pandemic in the tourism sector,” he affirmed.
As an effort to support tourism affected by the pandemic, Bali is also expecting further assistance from the central government. Because tourism grants cannot be applied for every year, Bali is also asking for soft loans that can be given to tourism actors worth IDR 9.5 trillion.
Meanwhile, Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, said that the proposed soft loan will be used to maintain the continuation of the company’s workforce so that employment is not terminated. In addition, this loan will be used as initial capital for tourism players if Bali is already opened to foreign tourists.
“The amount we are proposing is around 9.5 trillion, this figure is an approach to the company’s real ability to return it,” he said.
On the other hand, a number of areas in Bali, namely Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Klungkung, and Tabanan, have again extended the Enactment of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM) until February 8, 2021. The extension of the PPKM is based on the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 02 of 2021 concerning the Extension of Restricting Community Activities. for Control of the Spread of COVID -19. [antaranews]
