The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is set to revitalize hygiene facilities at several tourist sites in Bali in November. 

Wawan Gunawan, the ministry’s regional II destination development director, said that the revitalization program would take in place in one city and eight regencies, namely Denpasar, Badung, Tabanan, Gianyar, Klungkung, Karangasem, Buleleng, Bangli and Jembrana. 

Wawan said that the program would be adjusted based on the priorities in each tourist site; however, it would focus mainly on sanitation and health facilities. 

Meanwhile, the ministry’s head of infrastructure and destination development affairs, Hari Santosa Sungkari, said on Friday that several tourist attractions on the Island of Gods were not equipped with amenities, antaranews.com reported.

Hari said that the ministry aimed to improve amenities including hygiene facilities at tourist sites to provide comfort for tourists.

He explained that it was important for a tourist destination to adhere to the international standards of toilet cleanliness.

The revitalization program also aims to improve service quality and competitiveness of tourist attractions.

Read also: ‘We Love Bali’ program among efforts to boost Bali’s tourism industry

Bali Tourism Agency chief I Putu Astawa said that the tourism trend would change in the future, saying that travelers would prefer to visit destinations that could provide safety and comfort, as well as a clean and sustainable environment. 

“This revitalization program suits the current tourism trend,” he said, adding that hygiene and health features were important to travelers. 

Nani Sumaryati Firmansyah, head of water and sanitation at the Indonesian Toilet Association, shared a similar opinion. 

She said that having proper hygiene facilities was important for travelers. 

“They do not need to be luxurious, but the toilet facilities must be well equipped and run properly,” she said. 

“If a tourist’s first impression of the toilet is bad, then they will immediately think that the tourist attraction has bad management.” 

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is currently working on boosting tourism in Bali, which has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Earlier this month, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio introduced “We Love Bali”, an educational campaign on cleanliness, health, safety and the environment (CHSE) for Bali’s residents, tourism stakeholders and creative economy entrepreneurs. 

The campaign is aimed at boosting the island’s travel and creative economy industries and, at the same time, giving Bali's tourism industry a positive image.

Moreover, the ministry plans to set aside Rp 119 billion (US$8 million) to provide free CHSE certification for businesses across Indonesia. The certificate is intended to help regain tourists’ trust. 

Popular Indonesian beer brand, Bir Bintang, said in a statement that it would fully support the CHSE campaign by providing training sessions to more than 50 partner outlets on the island and assisting them in earning the certificate. 

The beer brand has also built a microsite, tetapbisa.id, which features a list of certified tourist sites in Bali. The microsite, which launched on Nov. 1, is equipped with a contact tracing feature that is expected to help the administration in the fight against COVID-19. (jes)

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.