September 11 might be a dark day in US aviation history, but it’s an auspicious day on Bali’s Hindu calendar.
Hence, on this day, authorities in Bali hope to millions of international visitors who usually flock to its beaches, temples, rice fields and yoga studios return to the island. This would allow Bali’s long closed hotels to reopen while also fetching earnings for tourism workers, many of whom are without income since February.
Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, Bali’s vice-governor and former chair of the island’s hotel and restaurant association, said that the date is tentative, but reopening of tourism is very important for the island’s economy.
Sukawati said, “The Covid-19 pandemic is the most devastating disaster for Bali tourism. It is much worse than the Bali bombings, both the first and the second, and worse than all the Mount Agung eruptions combined.”
Hotel arrivals in July were down over 99% year on year, Sukawati said. The island is also missing out on around 9.7 trillion rupiah (over $650 million) of earnings every month. Tens of thousands of local workers have been officially on unpaid leave. Thousands have lost their formal jobs, and many workers in Bali’s large informal tourist economy are desperate to get back on track.
While some Balinese have gone back to their family orchards, rice fields or fishing boats and balancing their incomes with the traditional way of life, other islanders, quite literally, have nowhere to go. Hence, reopening of tourism is now of paramount importance to sustain the industry battered by the pandemic.
Tags: Covid-19,Bali tourism,Bali
