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Five days at sea: Bali seeks to give tourists holiday feel during quarantine
The government plans to allow foreign tourists to wait out their five-day quarantine on a liveaboard ship, affording travelers a taste of vacation before they’re allowed to enter Bali proper.
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Boats are moored along Bali's Lovina Beach on July 3, 2020. (Courtesy of Kemenparekraf/-)
T
he lackluster response to Bali’s reopening, with few tourists keen to be locked up in a hotel room for five days, is forcing the government to think outside the box.
It now wants to allow foreigners to spend the five days of mandatory quarantine aboard boats off the coast of Bali.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said the island-province had received requests from tourists and industry players that were interested in a five-day quarantine at sea, where visitors would be able to enjoy outdoor activities, such as diving and swimming.
“[This is especially important] as the winter holiday period from December to March is approaching,” he said during an online press conference on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry's undersecretary for tourism products, Rizki Handayani, said her team was coordinating with the Health Ministry to evaluate and certify ships that had been booked by tourists.
“The ships’ operators say they are ready and have no problem with not docking for five days,” she said during the same conference.
Ngadiman Sudiaman, CEO at online water transportation marketplace cGO, said the liveaboard option would revive the marine tourism industry and put thousands of ships and pinisi (traditional Indonesian sailing boats) back to work.
