Bali tourist industry to get financial boost

Bali’s tourist industry is going to get a shot in the arm in the form of cash, from the Indonesian government. The Culture and Tourism Ministry will be responsible for dispersing the money, which is supposed to be used towards promoting Bali overseas.

The Jakarta Post says that there was skepticism from those in the tourist industry, because the government promised something similar following the 2001 bombing. This time around there will be 37 billion rp (US$3.9 million) spent to get the tourist industry rolling again. Bali does not have a proper tourism plan and independent travel agents / hotels / websites are responsible for generating interest and bookings.

I don’t expect to get any of the money, but I will offer a few things for free that Bali can do to attract AND keep tourists. These include : tidy up the streets, ban beach vending on large sections of the beach, get the locals to stop throwing garbage in the rivers, get the locals to stop burning plastic garbage, thank foreign business people for helping Bali when they arrive at the airport, instead of hitting them up for cash, and totally restructure and promote the Kuta Karnival.