JAKARTA - The government continues to rack our brains to find ways to restore the tourism industry. This is because this sector has been the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. One way is to reopen Bali to foreign tourists, a place that is considered the most missed by tourists.
This is because Bali is one of the areas that has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, for the first time in the history of the Balinese economy, it contracted 12 percent in 2020.
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Uno will focus on restoring the parekraf sector in Bali to encourage the recovery of the tourism industry through the Free COVID Corridor program.
"We are also sharpening about the Free Covid Corridor because we need to be careful, of course, to see the possibility that we will open a zone, called the green zone. This may be the place in Nusa Dua and in Ubud, maybe later it can be expanded to Nusa Penida and several other locations," he said in a virtual discussion, Monday, March 1.
Sandiaga explained that the program was a proposal from tourism and creative economy actors in Bali and was often discussed on various occasions by the local government.
Password, the Free Covid Corridor program comes from the projection made by international economic and financial institutions that the Indonesian economy this year will grow positively. Therefore, to support the recovery of the tourism sector and the economy, it is not possible to just wait without doing anything.
"We want to be more prepared in line with the decreasing number of COVID-19 transmission in Indonesia, especially in Bali. We have initiated the green zone area to be opened to several countries such as China, Singapore and other countries," he said.
The former Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta also admitted that he invited many ambassadors from a number of countries to meet in Bali and other tourist destinations. The goal is to see the readiness of the government in opening tourism destinations.
However, Sandiaga said, the planned opening of tourism is also very dependent on efforts to deal with COVID-19 in Bali. According to him, health protocols must be adhered to, in this case 3M or wearing masks, maintaining distance and washing hands.
"This returns to us. If the numbers (cases) hopefully can be double digits, so don't triple digits anymore. I have seen 7 today that Bali has shown significant improvements," he said.
120 thousand vaccines are needed for the Free Covid corridor programMeanwhile, Bali Governor I Wayan Koster explained that to become a green zone, the two areas selected in the Free Covid Corridor program, namely Nusa Dua and Ubud, require 120 thousand doses of vaccine to be injected into tourism industry players and local residents.
"When the vaccine has arrived, we will prioritize it in these two places. March can be finished," said Wayan.
Furthermore, he said, his party would start opening tourist visits for domestic tourists no later than May in Nusa Dua and Ubud. This is because everyone has been vaccinated.
As one of the backbones of tourism in Indonesia and all of its people depend on this sector, Wayan said, this sector must rise.
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The impact of the pandemic was more devastating than the Bali Bombings I and III Wayan Koster said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for the Balinese economy. He said, the impact this time was more devastating than during the post-Bali bombing tragedy I and II.
"From existing experience, (the economy) has been disrupted due to terrorism, the Bali I bombing and the Bali II bombing, then the Mount Agung eruption, previously there was also SARS. These incidents did not last long, were not on a large scale and the impact was not as severe. (COVID-19 pandemic) right now, "he said.
Wayan said, the impact of the pandemic was more devastating than the major events in Bali because this outbreak was widespread in 216 countries, including countries that had been visiting Bali as tourists. The time period is also very long. Thus, tourism in Bali automatically stops.
"Because there is a Minister of Law and Human Rights regulation which prohibits foreigners from traveling to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia temporarily and this regulation is still in effect. So that automatically foreign tourists cannot visit Bali and also Indonesia in general," he said.
Meanwhile, said Wayan, the Balinese economy has long been dependent on tourism. In fact, more than 52 percent of tourism's contribution to Bali's GDP.
"So when tourism is normal, the economy is very good. So the growth is above the national average," he said.
Bali's economy is experiencing the worst in history
As a result of the pandemic, said Wayan, hotels were empty and restaurants were empty of visitors. This condition affects the economy of Bali as a tourist destination. Where, the majority of the population depends on tourism.
Furthermore, Wayan said, due to the cessation of the tourism industry for the first time in history, Bali's economic growth experienced the deepest contraction, reaching 12 percent.
"The lowest so far is in Bali and the lowest in 2020 among regions in Indonesia. This is the joy and sorrow of Bali as a tourist destination," he said.
Wayan also said that the pandemic will not only have an impact on tourism but also on other sectors which are derivatives of the tourism sector, namely related to the absorption of local products.
"Folk crafts and agricultural products cannot be absorbed optimally because hotels and restaurants are still very minimal (visitors)," he said.
Wayan said that his party is targeting a reduction in COVID-19 cases to encourage the recovery of the tourism sector and the creative economy in Bali. Moreover, he said, both domestic and foreign tourists have 'missed' vacationing on the Island of the Gods.
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It has been a year of corona in Indonesia, since March 2020. In March last year, the government officially released COVID-19 into Indonesia, mentioning cases 01, 02 and so on. VOI editorial team tried to rewrite when COVID-19 appeared in Indonesia. What and how confused this country is. Click here for more news.
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