Bali's tourism industry has set the bar high for 2019, as it looks to attract 8 million foreign visitors. However, to achieve this the central government must support infrastructure initiatives across the island and not just in the most developed areas in the south.

Gapura Bali reported in April on one of Bali's most pressing issues: the noticeable inequality of development and distribution of funds and investments. The Head of the Bali Tourism Office (Kadispar) Anak Agung Gede Yuniarta Putra (Gung Yuniarta) echoed this when he told Nusa Bali recently that we "talk about access to southern Bali and northern Bali. But the development of access to west and east Bali is also very important." This focus, particularly on the south has left large parts of Bali relatively untouched.

Gung Yuniarta said these hopes for more balanced infrastructural improvements had already been conveyed to the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) some two months ago when they came to Bali to get a better feel for what was needed.

Water Palaces in East Bali will benefit from infrastructure development and better access.

He suggested the subject of infrastructural improvements is something the central government needs to drive. Bali has a history of indulging in "Budget Politics" which is exacerbated by the fact provinces and regions have different agendas and levels of authority when it comes to the distribution of funds and development.

The fact that the current state of Bali's infrastructure falls well short of expectations is testimony to this and if a more serious approach is not taken tourism arrival goals will certainly be negatively impacted.

Deputy Chairperson of Bali's Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) I Gusti Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya who is also the Chairman of the Badung Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPD), believes the target of 8 million visitors is the minimum and Bali needs to work harder to achieve more. One way this is being addressed is through promotional visits to a number of countries including most recently to Russia, India, Hungary, Spain and Austria. 

Revenue generated from realizing these visitor arrival goals is expected to top IDR 10 trillion.

Source: Nusa Bali

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