Poor infrastructure and Indonesia’s ‘alternative Bali’ destinations are causing tourists to reduce their length of stay, frets Bali tourism official

Bali. Photo: Pixabay
Bali. Photo: Pixabay

The latest from the Bali Province Central Statistics Agency (BPS), measured in June 2017, shows the average length of stay for Bali tourists has decreased compared to the previous month.

A Bali tourism official says people are taking shorter trips to Bali and less people are apparently coming to Bali for two major reasons. The first being the promotion of 10 other “alternative Bali” destinations designated by the Indonesian government and the second is the island’s inadequate supporting infrastructure.

BPS found that tourists stayed 3.04 days at star-rated hotels on average in June 2017, down 0.14 days from the average stay length in May 2017.

While this may not sound like a ton, tourism is Bali’s biggest industry and the island is expected to carry 40 percent of Indonesia’s lofty target of 15 million annual foreign tourist arrivals for 2017, so Bali’s figures are being watched closely.

Regarding the development of 10 hot new tourist destinations, alternative to Bali, the Indonesian government has encouraged travel agents and airlines to publicize these places, while Australia has even gotten involved to lend a “helping hand”.

Last month, Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson said Oz would be contributing funds through the World Bank to help develop the 10 “new Bali’s,” which include Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Belitung (Babel), Tanjung Lesung (Banten), the Thousand Islands (Jakarta), Borobudur (Central Java), Mount Bromo (East Java), Mandalika Lombok (NTB), Komodo Island (NTT), Wakatobi National Park (Southeast Sulawesi), and Morotai (North Maluku).

Lombok’s idyllic little island trio, the Gilis, has also seen a surge of tourists who opt to stay there longer than in Bali, says Bali Tourism Office Department Head Anak Agung Yuniarta Putra.

Putra says about 3,000 tourists disembark from Bali to the Gili islands per day.

“This clearly affects their stay time in Bali,” Putra said, as quoted by Nusa Bali.

As far as infrastructure in Bali goes, it seems the crowds and jammed streets are becoming more unattractive for foreign tourists.

“Imagine, going to Ubud from Denpasar takes two hours,” Putra said. The drive is just about 25 kilometers.

“The fact is, getting stuck in traffic is a common complaint from tourists,” says Putra.

However, not everyone in the industry is sweating over shorter stay lengths. The chairman of the Badung office of the Indonesian Hotel & Restaurant Association (PHRI), Anak Agung Yuniarta Putra, says he’s not worried in the least bit about Bali’s tourism industry, because Bali’s just so established as a popular tourism destination.

“Because Bali remains a magnet for tourism in Indonesia,” Suryawijaya said.

“No need to worry, because Bali is a barometer for Indonesian tourism.”




BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on
preload imagepreload image