Traders On Sanur Beach Begin To Smile, Local Tourist Visits Increase During Holidays

DENPASAR - The Christmas and New Year holidays at least make traders at the Sahur Beach tourist attraction, Denpasar, Bali, can smile. The tourists began to be busy visiting and buying goods in the stalls.

Ketut Slamet (54), a clothing trader on Sanur Beach, said that before the Christmas-New Year holidays, many local tourists had visited with a daily turnover of IDR 500 thousand.

"Now that it's starting to increase, it's starting to get crowded but the foreigners don't exist if there are at least one or two. Now, the local tourists eat, fortunately, not so much", said Slamet, when met at his trading stall on Monday, December 27.

On average, there are about five local tourists per day who stop by his stall to buy hats, sandals, or towels. Even so, the profits of his trade are very far when compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Yes, fortunately, a little if given expensive (local tourists) yes he does not want to spend. Per day around IDR 500 thousand", he added.

Slamet said that before the Christmas-New Year holidays, tourists rarely visited. Per day sometimes he only gets one or two people shopping.

"It's not like it used to be before the pandemic. In the past, there were double Caucasians, fortunately. For now, we just have to be patient, the important thing is that we go on. Before Corona, it was full here. It means that the income is far away", he said.

Slamet said, before the pandemic, he made a profit of IDR 1.5 million to IDR 2 million. But after the pandemic, it dropped drastically.

"If there is only now, yes, just buy rice. If you save, you can't do it now. Now sell it to cook in the kitchen", said the man, a resident of Sanur.

Slamet has been selling for 45 years on Sanur Beach. He and other traders hope that the situation will recover soon and the Coronavirus will end soon.

"If possible, for example, a foreign guest comes here and it is quickly opened widely if foreign guests come, there will be money", he said smiling.

The same thing was conveyed by Kadek Rahma Subawa Putra (23), a food vendor on Sanur Beach. According to him, local tourists have started to get busy since early December 2021.

"Compared to a normal day, maybe 50 percent. A lot of tourists come starting at 8 in the morning and later in the afternoon at 4 it's crowded again.

Since the beginning of December, it has started to increase and on the weekends it would have started to get crowded", he said.

Currently, the sales turnover per day is between IDR 300 thousand to IDR 500 thousand. Compared to a normal day before the holiday season, the profit that Subawa gets is around IDR 200 thousand.

"Hopefully, foreign tourists can return to Bali soon and the entry rules should not be tightened if possible", said Subawa.