The tourism association
in Pemuteran, Buleleng has admitted that they’re getting tired of the false
hope that they have been receiving from the government.
I Ketut Sutrawan Selamat, the Head of the Travel
Conscious Group (Pokdarwis) Segara Giri Pemutera, confessed that most tourism
enterprises in the northern Bali region have been waiting for the restoration
of the international travel corridor for Bali. He also complained about the
inconsistency of the government's policy, which tends to change without warning
before being implemented.
Many of the lodging establishments that began to
receive reservations in June 2021 were disappointed when the government
abruptly enacted the emergency partial lockdown in early July 2021. “We had
previously completed our preparations and marketed our businesses till we
finally received some bookings in June, but when the delta strain of
Coronavirus struck, the government reversed the policy quickly. As a result, it
appears that we are unprofessional because we must continually update the
information we provide to our clients.” Selamat explained.
He explained that many companies decided to sell their
assets in order to pay their employees. Meanwhile, Ketut Suwarmawan, spokesman
for the Buleleng Covid-19 Handling Task Force, stated that authorities have
been preparing the infrastructure before Bali can officially reopen its border
to foreign travelers. “While waiting for reopening instructions from the
national and provincial governments, we have been constructing a better infrastructure,
such as putting a tracing app called PeduliLindungi in all our tourist places
and ensuring that all preventative mechanisms are effectively implemented.”
Suwarmawan said.