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arious cultural festivals in Bali have yet to make a contribution to increasing the number of tourist arrivals to the island, tourist operators say.

None of the festivals, which include the Kuta Carnival, Nusa Dua Fiesta, Sanur Village Festival (SVF), Legian Festival, Bali Art Festival and the newly launched Batur Lake Festival, have been a particular attraction for tourists, they added.

“The festivals are only an option, so when the tourists are already here and these events are ongoing, we offer them the opportunity of attending,” said Hadi Sutrisno from Dwidaya Tour and also an organizer of Cinta Bali, an association of travel agents that deal with domestic tourism.

Sutrisno said it was good that the festivals offered various free and interesting outdoor activities, but that some festival organizers did not pay attention to supporting facilities, such as parking lots or ease of access to venues.

He considered Kuta Carnival as ‘exotic’, but said that it may not interest some because of traffic congestion and insufficient parking facilities.

Ketut Ardhana from Bali Sinar Mentari Tours & Travel shared these sentiments, saying that it was not easy for travel agents to promote the event due to its tentative schedule each year.

“They should fix the schedule every year, so that it’s easier for us to include the event in our promotion packages,” he said, adding that it would also be better for the festival organizers to bring new, creative ideas to the festival each year.

The organizers should understand that tourists have prepared their itineraries long before they go on holiday, he said.

“We usually offer accommodation and destination packages to our business partners abroad about six months to a year before the season starts. Therefore, it’s difficult for us to include a tentative agenda.”

Bagus Sudibya, coordinator of the Association of Indonesian Travel Agents in Bali, said none of the festivals are tourist-oriented, as festival organizers still develop events based on the viewpoints of local people.

“They don’t really consider tourists and they make tentative schedules based on when a high-ranking officials are available, so that these people can open these festivals,” he said.

He said Kuta Carnival and SVF are the two most welcoming, adding that the Bali Art Festival had good potential but that its’ organizers should increase the variety of events during the festival and fix the schedule without any delays or cancellations, as well as ensuring better traffic access.

Ida Bagus Surakusuma, chairperson of the Indonesian Congress and Convention Association for Bali, said that festivals, as part of the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) activities in Bali, had yet to show a significant contribution to increasing tourist arrivals.

“Festivals have contributed less than 10 percent and the biggest contributor is meeting events.”

Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra, initiator and organizer of SVF, which is about to enter its sixth year, said he was aware of the complaints.

“We are trying to be consistent with the variety of events on offer, showing the real character of Sanur while being different from other festivals.”