AUTHORITIES WILL BE “VERY FIRM” ON BAD TOURIST BEHAVIOUR
On resort destination Bali, which is popular with international visitors, Mr Uno said there is a need to distribute the tourist movement around the island, especially with the southern part seeing greater “congestion”.
“We’re building infrastructures in different areas of Bali in order to improve the interconnectivity,” he added.
In the interview with CNA, Mr Uno also spoke about the bad behaviour of some tourists in Bali, which has ranged from indecent exposure to letting off fireworks in public spaces.
“We need to actively promote and educate tourists that this is the type of behaviour that isn’t welcomed. When you come to Indonesia, you respect the culture,” he cautioned, adding that social media has been a great tool to monitor negative tourist behaviour.
“We would basically first identify and educate them. But if it continues to be a repeat situation, we are going to be very firm … including deporting those perpetrators to send a signal and narrative that we’re very serious in making sure that our tourism destinations will be quality destinations that promote nature, culture and also adventure.”
To move international tourism beyond just Bali, Indonesia is accelerating the development of five ‘super priority’ destinations – Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in Lombok, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, and Likupang in North Sulawesi.
The country is also looking to ensure that its products, such as fashion and culinary experiences, are “optimally presented” to the world, Mr Uno noted.
“So this is going to be our focus going forward, to make sure that not only people know about our creative economy, but also the exports of our creative economy,” he said.
