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Growing crimes 'staining' Bali's image
Tourism experts are urging the Bali authorities to map crime-prone areas and take action to show the world that something is being done to prevent growing crime on the island
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ourism experts are urging the Bali authorities to map crime-prone areas and take action to show the world that something is being done to prevent growing crime on the island.
If no concrete action is taken, they brand Bali 'unsafe' for tourists, forcing them to choose other destinations.
Tourism observer Bagus Sudibya said the provincial administration and the Bali Police must take immediate action, such as mapping locations prone to crime as well as sharing intelligence.
'These crimes will stain Bali's image as a tourist haven. With violence recurring, our source of income will be jeopardized,' Bagus told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Bagus went on to criticize the authorities, saying they should have anticipated such crimes.
He said places with many migrants were prone to various types of crime, including those that had occurred lately, such as murder, mugging and rape.
Bali has the chance to take advantage of the instability of its competitors. Vietnam ' a close competitor to the island as a tourist destination ' is experiencing political tension with China.
Tourists may have also chosen other destinations over Malaysia after the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 incident, which saw the plane allegedly crash into the middle of the Indian Ocean.
On the other hand, Indonesia has just successfully conducted its legislative election peacefully, and its overall condition is well-maintained.
'It's not that we enjoy the misfortunes of others, but this is a chance for us to improve and show the world we are a safe country,' Bagus stressed.
Among other measures, Bagus said the authorities must conduct more road patrols and approach local residents to work together to prevent crime and make Bali a safer place.
He also suggested the administration should control the flow of incoming migrants.
Contacted separately, Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali chapter chairman Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati said the crimes gave Bali a bad reputation.
'Safety and comfort are the aspects we promote in Bali,' he said. 'If we could no longer give these to tourists, then it would be bad for the future of the island's tourist industry.'
Sukawati said the administration must work hard to preserve Bali's image as a safe island.
He cautioned that the number of inbound tourists was only continuing to rise due to the problems faced by the island's competitors.
'[Tourist numbers] keep increasing, but that's just because China is going through a tense period with its neighbors, Thailand is in chaos and Malaysia is in trouble with MH370,' he said.
'If our competitors manage to revive themselves, then competition will be hard for us if crime continues to increase on the island.'
Sukawati added that the administration must continuously monitor the media, especially foreign media outlets.
He said crimes were never reported to the local authorities.
'A distrust of local authorities may have led victims to tell their stories directly to the media they usually read,' he said, adding that close observations of such media outlets could give the administration the opportunity to act on these crimes as well as to comment or refute.
