Tourism Actors In Bali Reject PPKM Level 3, Luhut: To Protect The People

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan at Tahura Ngurah Rai Badung Bali (Dafi VOI)

BADUNG - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan responded to the rejection of PPKM level 3 for the Christmas-New Year holiday voiced by tourism actors in Bali. Luhut emphasized that the PPKM that had been implemented so far did not hinder the level of tourist visits to Bali.

"Not really (the quiet tourists) are getting better. Earlier, all the hotels were full," said Luhut after visiting the Mangrove Forest at the Ngurah Rai Grand Forest Park (Tahura), Badung Regency, Bali, Thursday, November 25.

According to Luhut, there are two options, namely the implementation of PPKM level 3 at Christmas-New Year to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or there are no special rules but corona cases can increase.

"Now you, there are a few rules but it's safe or you don't have to have rules but it hurts. Which do you choose?" he added.

Luhut emphasized the PPKM level 3 policy on Christmas-New Year to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19.

“The government must be in the context of protecting its people. So, if there is no rule of being free to be independent, being free is also a pain, it will hit you," said Luhut.

Previously reported, tourism actors in Bali rejected the plan to implement PPKM level 3 during the Christmas-New Year holidays. PPKM level 3 was decided by the central government to be implemented throughout Indonesia.

The rejection of PPKM level 3 was conveyed by the Bali Marginal Tourism Actors Alliance (APPMB), which consists of daily tourism workers (DW), freelance guides, freelance drivers, conventional drivers, souvenir sellers, traders to tourist destination guards.

The head of APPMB Bali Puspa Negara asked the central government to cancel the plan to implement PPKM level 3 for the Christmas-New Year holidays. This policy is considered strange.

"There is information from the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy who said that in order to prevent crowds and limit community activities at the end of the year PPKM Level 3 will be implemented throughout Indonesia. This is certainly very strange and eccentric for Bali," said Puspa in a written statement, Tuesday, November 23.

According to him, PPKM level 3 even became a new burden when Bali tourism began to move.

"In the middle we are preparing to rise in sync with the current PPKM level falling to Level 2 and instead hope to continue to decline to Level 1 and if necessary to level 0 without restrictions and towards true normal," he added.

In the perspective of Bali tourism, the decline in the level of PPKM gives hope for economic movement. When PPKM level 2 was implemented in Bali, tourism movements began to increase.

"We hope that by the end of this year tourism will return to life, although still with strict and innovative processes. If Muhadjir Effendy's words are properly implemented, it is certain that Bali as a destination cannot move, aka the people in the destination will be dying," he said.

"The material loss is the cancellation of year-end bookings that have started to enter the domestic market. Likewise, several events with procedures must be canceled. If it is calculated that the implementation of PPKM Level 3 at the end of this year, business actors and the public will certainly lose billions of rupiah," he explained.