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Sustainability of Jokowi's 10 new Balis in question
However, the new destinations have their own problems, from a lack of tourism infrastructure to environmental sustainability.
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Lake Toba as seen from the hill surrounding the lake. (Shutterstock/File)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s ambitious plan to develop 10 tourist destinations, dubbed new Balis, faces a string of challenges, raising questions about the government’s readiness to sustainably develop the new tourism spots.
Stretching from Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Borobudur temple in Central Java to Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the new destinations’ development aims at attracting foreign exchange inflows as the government turns to tourism as a new source of economic growth amid cooling consumer spending and exports.
However, the new destinations have their own problems, from a lack of tourism infrastructure to environmental sustainability.
In a recent visit to Lake Toba, Jokowi expressed concern over water pollution in the lake that has remained unsolved for years. He threatened to revoke the business licenses of companies polluting the giant lake.
