Significant rise in tourist arrivals in Bali

Denpasar, Bali,(ANTARA News) - The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Bali rose significantly in the first semester of this year, a regional tourism official said.

“According to records, a total of 280,222 foreigners visited Bali in the first semester of this year, an increase of 22.26 percent from 229,198 in the same period last year,” the head of the local tourism service, Gede Nurjaya, said here on Saturday.

He made the statement after speaking at a seminar on “The Impact of Ban on National Flights to Europe on Tourism in Bali.” He said the ban by the European Commission had not affected tourism in Bali much.

But he admitted the ban for European tourists to use national airlines would disrupt distribution of tourists to other provinces and damage the image of the country that had just recovered from the impact of incidents such as terrorism, natural disasters and health scares.

Nurjaya said various efforts had to be made to immediately overcome the slump in the country`s tourism industry. “The central government needs to conduct continuous consultations and cooperation with the EU Commission so that a way out can be immediately found to overcome the shortcomings of the Indonesian airlines,” he said.

He also called on the country`s national airlines to improve their performance, including in the safety aspect in line with the air operator certificate requirements and standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association.

“They must also continue to inform the market about efforts that have been made by the government to improve their quality,” he said.(*)