U

BUD: Chairman of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) Tjok Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati has asked the provincial and regional administrations to participate in the issuance of any tourist-business permits.

PHRI, he said, is one of important stakeholders in tourism industry. "We are now working with the administrations to establish a Memorandum of Understanding on the technical operation of permit issuance," Sukawati said.

PHRI's involvement, he said, aimed to take part in the control and monitoring of processes in the current tourist development projects, which are now ignoring the balance between supply and demand.

"The local authorities still have the power to control any technical issues, while PHRI will focus more on standards, services and other software issues," Sukawati said.

PHRI plans to enforce its plan in Gianyar regency, one of Bali's favorite tourist destinations with Ubud as its prime attraction.