Vendors upset tourists

Vendors upset tourists

DENPASAR, Bali: Officials are concerned that the swarming food
and souvenir vendors, competing for buyers to the point of
becoming a nuisance, may adversely affect the tourism industry
here.

Many foreign tourists in Kuta beach, for instance, have
reportedly cut short their stays on the island after the local
traders "forced" them to buy their goods.

John Hopson, an Australian tour operator, said yesterday many
tourists from his country canceled their trips to Bali and went
to Penang in Malaysia instead.

"The vendors sometimes use rude words and intimidation to make
the tourists buy," he said.

Australia is the second largest country after Japan supplying
foreign tourists to Indonesia. Last year, over 160,700 tourists
from Australia visited Indonesia while Japan sent a record
174,000.

Around 2,000 food and souvenir vendors are operating in Kuta,
hundreds of whom don't have permits.

Last year, the local administration in Badung launched an
operation, but failed to reduce the number of vendors.

"If we are barred from operating here, who will feed our
children," said Luh Sutri, who has been working in Kuta for eight
years. (23/rms)