Tourists prefer airport over seaports

Of the millions of foreign tourists who visit Bali every year, less than 2 percent enter the resort island via its seaports, the provincial statistics agency says.

From January to August, 1,845,510 foreign visitors entered Bali, up by 9.97 percent compared to the same period last year.

“Of that number, only 22,757 people entered via seaports,” said agency head Gede Suarsa.

In August, 5,679 out of the 252,698 foreign visitors who entered Bali entered the island via its seaports. The vast majority arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The airport, which is the island’s main gateway, recorded 1,822,753 foreign tourist arrivals as of August this year, which was more than Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which received 1,254,175 foreign tourists in the same period.

“The increase in the number of arrivals at Ngurah Rai is in line with the rising number of tourists coming to Bali,” Suarsa said.

Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, head of the Bali Tourism Agency, said the true number of foreign arrivals at the island’s seaports was greater than the official figure, as Bali also received many cruise ships carrying thousands of tourists that docked in Benoa, Tanah Ampo, Padang Bai and Buleleng.

He explained that cruise ship passengers were stamped and counted at the first seaport that they debarked at in the country; and therefore if they debarked at Bali after having already disembarked elsewhere in Indonesia on their trip then they would not be counted.

“Therefore, their entrance in the next seaports in the country is unrecorded. Only those that debark for the first time in Bali are recorded by the Bali Immigration Office,” Subhiksu said.

He said that infrastructure and facilities at seaports had improved, especially those at which cruise ships docked.

“However, seaports still need to improve their facilities, including preparing to allow longer and bigger ships to dock and developing themselves as turn-around ports.”

Ida Bagus Surakusuma, who has spent years working on cruise ships, said that most seaports in Indonesia did not meet international standards.

Many cruise ships from around the world are interested in visiting Bali, he said.

“Despite the lack of standards, the cruise ships still come to Bali, thanks to our nature and culture. We should make the most of these resources by improving all facilities.”

“Cruise ships can accommodate thousands of passengers, far more than an airplane. Therefore, improving seaports is crucial to attracting tourists.”