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SO FAR foreign tourist visits to the Island of the Gods, other than those from China, are still in normal condition and there has been no decline.
According to the Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office I Putu Astawa stressed that other tourists (outside China-ed), I noticed here was still going as usual. For hotels in the Sanur area, Denpasar City, for example occupancy rates are still above 70 percent on average and that is normal in February which is included in the low season . There are even a number of hotels in Sanur where occupancy reaches 95%.
Therefore, said Astawa, the issue that said Bali was like a “Ghost Town” due to the loss of Chinese tourist visits, was completely untrue. If the corona virus outbreak (Covid-19) that hit China is prolonged, in one year Bali has the potential to lose more than 18% of foreign tourists, if it looks in the mirror of foreign tourists visiting Bali in 2019.
Based on data from tourists visiting Bali throughout 2019 with a total number of 6,275,210 people, Chinese tourists are in the second position of the highest level of visits to the Island of the Gods, reaching 1,186,057 people (18.90%).
“So that in one year we have the potential to lose 18% of total foreign tourist arrivals. However, there are still tourists from the Bamboo Curtain country that extend their stay. According to Immigration data, there are about 1,200 Chinese tourists who are still in Bali. With the addition of the length of stay it is expected to reduce the potential loss of foreign tourist visits from China by 18%,” he said.
Astawa added, with the decline in Chinese tourist visits to the Island of the Gods in almost a month, Bali has lost income from tourism in the range of Rp10 billion. Based on the data, there are around 20,000 Chinese tourists who canceled their visit to the Island of the Gods. While the average expenditure or spending money per 5 days is around US$300-500 (between IDR5-7 million). Suppose Rp5 million times 20 thousand, so this month lost around Rp10 billion for Chinese tourists.
While the Chairman of the Bali Hotel Association (BHA) I Made Ricky Darmika Putra hopes that other market share such as Australian, European, Japanese and Korean tourists will still come to Bali and even increase. We certainly can not be sad for long, we must increase the lost foreign tourist market, “he said
In addition, he hopes there will be a change in the destination of foreign tourists visiting those who wanted to go to China to Bali or other provinces in Indonesia.
However, Ricky does not deny, of course this is not an easy matter because it requires breakthroughs to add flights, especially from the United States, the Middle East, and also from Europe to reduce the potential loss of Chinese tourist visits.
He added, the tourist areas of Kuta, Seminyak and Nusa Dua, Badung Regency were the most affected due to the decline in Chinese tourist visits to Bali. In Seminyak, hotel occupancy is only 35%. While in Sanur, the impact is around 6-7%,” he said.
While one tourist from the Netherlands, Rob Horbach, claimed to feel comfortable in Bali. If he comes to the Island of the Gods, he chooses to live in Puri Santrian, Sanur. Corona virus related (Covid-19), he did not feel worried.
“The virus is located in Wuhan, China. Besides, there is no prohibition from the Indonesian Government or from our government to travel to Indonesia and Bali in particular,” he explained.
Moreover, related to the Covid-19 virus in Indonesia is zero. “I don’t think there is a corona. In the Netherlands itself there is no case. Our government in the Netherlands itself has already closed flights to and from China. So, people will not go to China if this case still exists,” Horbach said.
Johannes Tuyt, another Dutch tourist, felt comfortable in Bali. He and his family have always chosen Bali as a place to live. He has come to Bali several times since 25 years ago.
He felt very happy with the hospitality of the Balinese people. Once he met, he felt with someone who had been a long time friend, so it brought a feeling, like being at home.
“In our house there is only cold and rainy weather. Here the weather is very good and the people are very kind. The country is nice and the weather is warm,” he concluded. [antaranews]
