Hotel Nusa Dua Bali Inaugurated By President Soeharto, 28 May 1983

The splendor of the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel which was inaugurated by President Soeharto on May 28, 1983. (Instagram/@nusawuabeachhotelandspa)

JAKARTA History today, 40 years ago, May 28, 1983, President Suharto inaugurated the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Bali. The presence of the five-star hotel is considered by Suharto to attract foreign tourists to visit the Island of the Gods. The Nusa Dua Hotel is believed by Suharto to be a strong supporter of the Bali narrative on the Island of Heaven.

Previously, the popularity of Bali tourism had been known long ago by Suharto and the New Order (Orba). Suharto also wants to develop Bali tourism. He wants Bali to be an example of tourism success for other tourist areas.

The world already knows Bali as the Island of Heaven. The title was given by foreign travelers who had visited Bali during the colonial reign of the Dutch East Indies. The Dutch colonialists at that time did not want to be left behind to extract the cultural potential and natural beauty of Bali.

The power of attorney then advertised Bali everywhere. The beauty of Bali has also been on the radar of many people. They came and were amazed by the beauty of the island of Bali. As a result, they brought home a beautiful experience in the story.

Some conveyed the story of the beauty of Bali to their colleagues. There are also those who write the narrative of the beauty of Bali through travel records. The results are brilliant. Bali is touted as the Island of Heaven.

In fact, the famous effect of Bali from the Dutch era did not necessarily disappear. In the New Order era, for example. The image of Bali as the Island of Heaven continues to remain in many people. President Suharto did not want to be left behind.

He wants to develop Bali so that more tourists come to Bali. He involved foreign consultants. Suharto then started designing various developments in Bali. In fact, the development is included in the agenda of the Five-Year Development Plan (Repellita).

Even though they were marked by reluctance, the outline determined by the Repellita I compiler in the end followed what was recommended by foreign consultants. They see that the country's largest asset is the image of Bali as a paradise that is a legacy of the colonial era, they recommend that Bali be used as an Indonesian storefront.

"The goal is for the business development of intermational tourism to be focused there. In addition, because of its experience, Bali is used as a model for planning tourism for other Indonesian regions," explained Michel Picard in the book Bali: Culture Tourism and Tourism Culture (2006).

Development to lift Bali tourism was then promoted by President Suharto. The construction of the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, one of them. The laying of the first stone for a hotel that has 381 rooms was held in 1980. The hotel was completed in 1982.

However, the inauguration of the hotel only took place the following year. President Soeharto also acted as the figure who inaugurated the hotel on May 28, 1983. The inauguration was marked by cutting the cone. Suharto also hopes that the presence of Hotel Nusa Dua can raise the level of tourism in Bali.

This hotel was opened in 1983 by former President Suharto. In fact, Hotel Nusa Dua is the first five-star hotel to be built in the south of Nusa Dua, "is written on the Nusa Dua Bali Hotel website, May 28, 2019.