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our and travel agencies in Bali have been limiting package offers to Besakih Temple in Karangasem as they consider the location'€™s services, management and infrastructure under par.

I Ketut Ardana, chairman of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita), said Besakih was among many destinations on the island that needed a significant revamp, arguing that quality service was the most important thing for customer satisfaction when visiting Bali.

Those destinations that had not followed up on visitors'€™ complaints would be taken off tour agencies'€™ itineraries, he said, except if there was high demand from tourists themselves.

Ardana said that Besakih was a tourist magnet. He said he was disappointed that the temple'€™s management was poor, allowing the hiring of local amateur guides who often charged high fees. He added that domestic staff at the site, such as parking attendants, lacked a spirit of hospitality, while the area was also not clean.

Trash usually mounts up after devotees conduct rituals at Besakih '€” which is the largest Hindu temple in Bali.

'€œWe'€™ve took Besakih off our list several years ago. We'€™ve actually filed complaints about these issues, but the management has not done anything significant,'€ he said on Tuesday.

Kintamani and Sangeh were among several other destinations that, according to Ardana used to have poor services, but had now been improved.

Ardana said Kintamani was similar to Besakih, where local boat owners levy illegal fees from visitors wanting to take a trip across Batur Lake to the ancient village of Trunyan. The area also had a large number of beggars and street vendors who tried to force tourists to buy their wares, he explained, and the area was dirty.

However, Ardana said that Kintamani had improved it services within the last three years, thus encouraging tour agencies to re-include it on their lists. The spot is Bangli regency'€™s top tourist attraction, which offers views of Mount Batur and Batur Lake.

Moreover, he said Mt. Batur was now included in the world'€™s geopark network, thanks to a set of programs by the government to boost its image.

'€œKintamani has changed significantly, from offering training for vendors and revamping kiosks to repairing roads and many other things. Only the cleanness is still lacking,'€ he said.

Similar to Kintamani, Ardana said Sangeh had improved. He said guests used to complain of being bitten by wild monkeys that live in the area. The infrastructure was also at a minimum. '€œBut it has also improved now. We consider Sangeh a safe and comfortable place for tourists.'€

Ardana said tour operators hoped that the Karangasem administration would do some work to improve the management of Besakih, pointing out that at the very least, the issue of the local tour guides needed to be addressed.

Tourism observer Bagus Sudibya shared Ardana'€™s concerns. Bagus, who also owns a travel agency, said temples across Bali told their own unique stories that could attract tourists to visit. Other than Besakih, the island has famous temples in Uluwatu, Tanah Lot, Bedugul and Taman Ayun.

Bagus said the island'€™s temples had been developed due to professional managements that maintained the locations'€™ services. '€œBesakih has [professional management], but it needs to be improved.'€

'€œBesides the desire to attract tourists, Besakih is a large temple that welcomes many people for prayer,'€ he said, adding that improved services was important.

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry'€™s director general for tourist destinations, Firmansyah Rahim, said the ministry had included Besakih in the government'€™s national strategic tourism area (KSPN) development project to improve the site.

'€œWe want to help improve Besakih, not only physically but also with regard to other things, such as training local human resources,'€ he said.