T

housands of Indonesian tourists crowded the world-famous Kuta beach Tuesday afternoon.

“I have off for Idul Fitri until next weekend, so we want to have fun here in Kuta,” said Runia, a bank employee from Bandung, West Java.

Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Tanah Lot are still strong magnets that attract local tourists, who travelled to Bali primarily by land.

Tour buses, private cars and motorcycles from outside Bali were seen packing the narrow streets of Kuta — and causing serious traffic jams.

“The number of visitors to Kuta and nearby destinations might increase five-fold and peak at
4,000-5,000 people,” a Bali tourism official said.

Local tourists might soon dwarf the 2 million foreign tourists who visit Bali every year, accoring to
reports.

Bali Tourism Board chairman IB Ngurah Wijaya said previously that domestic tourists play a very significant role in boosting the island’s tourism businesses.

“We should not ignore the local potential. It was domestic tourists that saved the island’s tourist industry when it plummeted in the post-bombing period,” he said.

Most domestic tourists buy food and handicrafts and visit local art at markets such as Sukawati in Gianyar and the Badung, he added.

Other places of interests for domestic tourists included Bedugul resort in Tabanan and Monkey Forest in Ubud.

In Bedugul, visits to the Bedugul vegetable and fruit market, Lake Beratan and Lake Buyan were popular, he said.

“We get at least Rp 1 million [US$111] a day during Idul Fitri,” said Wayan Masna, a small boat operator at Beratan Lake.