B

ali gubernatorial candidates have pledged to better local tourism through various highlighted programs, a recent public debate revealed.

Two candidate pairs, I Wayan Koster and running mate Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati (endorsed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle) and Ida Bagus Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra and running mate I Ketut Sudikerta (endorsed by the Golkar Party, NasDem, the Democratic Party, Gerindra, the Prosperous Justice Party, the Crescent Star Party and the United Indonesia Party) recently took to the stage in a public debate in South Kuta, broadcast by a national TV station.

Tourism has been the province’s economic backbone, but the resort island is facing an unabated challenge to achieve sustainability. The most recent challenge was a hotel price war that hit the local tourism sector. Both pairs touched on the issue during the debate and promised to address it through various programs.

Mantra, for example, offered a moratorium of new hotel construction in areas that face an oversupply of hotel rooms. Meanwhile, Koster promised to issue a bylaw that regulates hotel room rates.

Mantra, who had the first opportunity to answer a question related to the issue, explained that Bali should re-examine the tourism master plan, which had been designed a long time ago. He emphasized the importance of tourism zoning and regular reviews of each zone’s capacity.

“We should control and manage areas that experience oversupply. A moratorium must be imposed on [those areas],” Mantra said.

The incumbent Denpasar mayor added that Bali should resort to tourism diversification, saying new places must be developed as tourist attractions. Furthermore, he planned to set areas for budget and luxury hotels.

“They can’t be mixed [in the same area],” he said.

Mantra’s running mate, Sudikerta, also emphasized the need to improve human resources and tourist attractions to boost local tourism.

Meanwhile, Koster said there should be a focus on developing culture-based tourism.

“Bali should not be sold at a cheap price. Tourism for Bali, not Bali for tourism. Therefore, we should take control by drafting a bylaw on standardization of the tourism service,” he said.

His running mate, popularly known as Cok Ace, emphasized the need of control on hotel room supply. According to Cok Ace, who is the chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali branch and the Bali Tourism Promotion Board, Bali currently has 130,000 hotel rooms, or around 47 million rooms per night per year. With around 5.5 million tourists visiting the island a year, Bali only needs 26 million rooms per night per year. “Such an oversupply issue should be managed,” the former Gianyar regent said.

Koster also noted that, in the long run, a focus on the agriculture sector is necessary to create a balance between tourism and agriculture and boost the local economy.