Flight Mandatory Requirement Now Only Needs Antigen Test Result Is A Fresh Air For Bali Tourism

BADUNG - The application of the requirements for antigen testing on Java-Bali flights was welcomed by the management of tourism objects in Bali. The terms, which were changed from the previous PCR, are predicted to increase domestic tourist visits to the Island of the Gods.

GM Marketing Communication & Event GWK Cultural Park, Andre Prawiradisastra said, with the implementation of the antigen swab test, his party will increase the target for visits to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park or GWK.

If the number of visits reaches 500-1.000 people, the GWK will be opened every day. Currently, GWK is only open on weekends, namely Friday-Sunday.

"We will see again in the next two weeks. Our target is to increase because PCR is no longer required. If conditions improve, we will probably start every day in November. If we reach the target of 500 because we know the conditions are in November, we will target 1.000 per day," said Andre, Wednesday, November 3.

Since opening, GWK has only operated on weekends to measure the interest of tourists who come. So far, the number of visits to GWK is quite good.

“We've been open for two weeks on October 22, but the results are satisfying. Because, indeed, the target is not too big during this pandemic," continued Andre.

Meanwhile, Head of the Division of Promotion and Development of Tanah Lot Tourism Objects, Tabanan, Bali, Kadek Niti said that the new rules for antigen requirements for airplane passengers are believed to have an impact on visits to Bali.

"Regarding that PCR is no longer mandatory for flights, it is certainly a breath of fresh air for us. We hope that there will be an increase in visits, especially towards the end of this year," said Niti.

Currently, the number of domestic tourists visiting Tanah Lot has reached 1.000 people per day. Tourists come from East Java, Central Java, West Java, Jakarta, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan.

However, when comparing the conditions before the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic tourist visits to Tanah Lot per day averaged 8 thousand people per day, with four thousand foreign tourists per day.

"Hopefully, by the end of this year foreign tourists have arrived in Bali and of course there will be no more policies that burden the tourism world. Maybe the quarantine period for foreign tourists can be reviewed so that it can be shortened. Because we will always monitor the progress of tourists during their visit," he said.