Minister proposes task force to map Bali infrastructure development
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana has proposed the formation of a cross-ministerial task force to map and set priorities for basic infrastructure development that can be executed immediately to improve the quality of tourism in Bali. “Collaboration and synergy will be key to overcoming the various challenges that exist,” Widiyanti said in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Monday. During a ministerial-level coordination meeting on Bali regional development at the Bali Governor’s Office, Widiyanti stated the proposal was a response to various challenges facing Bali’s tourism sector, ranging from waste management, tourist overcrowding, and spatial planning, to optimising cruise ship tourism potential. These needs cover the energy, waste management, transportation, water, sanitation, and tourism infrastructure sectors, with an estimated investment requirement of USD 16.4 billion to USD 24.7 billion. She highlighted that waste management must be a shared concern as it is a crucial factor in maintaining Bali’s competitiveness and reputation as a world-class tourism destination. Therefore, she encouraged cross-sector support for the massive remediation of marine debris, mapping the open dumping system at the Suwung Final Processing Site to prevent new waste accumulation, and accelerating the provision of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Waste Processing Site infrastructure in tourist destinations and tourism villages. The Ministry of Tourism has implemented various initiatives, including the Clean Tourism Movement, sustainable tourism village certification, tourism business assistance, and environmental performance assessments through the Company Performance Rating Programme. Travel patterns through the 4B programme, covering Banyuwangi, West Bali, North Bali, and East Bali, are also being continuously updated. In the field of spatial planning, accelerating the preparation of digital Regional Spatial Plans and Detailed Spatial Plans integrated with the Online Single Submission licensing system is considered an urgent need. Currently, only 28 Detailed Spatial Plans are integrated with the OSS system out of a target of 73. This integration is expected to prevent the conversion of green land for tourism accommodation development that does not comply with its designation. Widiyanti also highlighted the significant opportunity for developing cruise ship tourism as a new source of growth for Bali’s tourism. Bali currently has the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub and Celukan Bawang Port serving as cruise ship berths. Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono added three main directives as a follow-up to Bali’s tourism development. These directives include drafting a masterplan for tourist dispersal to reduce the concentration of visits in South Bali, encouraging destination development in North, East, and West Bali so that the economic benefits of tourism are more evenly distributed, and integrating destination development with connectivity, basic services, environmental management, and community empowerment. Agus also stressed that Bali must become a model for tourism development for other regions in Indonesia.