The new economic approach will involve the advancement of digital technology and focus on preventive health as well as cleanliness and sustainability aspects, he informed.
"When I visit Bali, I always use a hybrid (Toyota) Prius, but unfortunately, every time I visit Jembrana or a tourism village, the car gets stuck on the speed bump. Currently, I have asked the producer to provide the electric (Toyota) Innova car that they will launch at the year-end," Uno said during a webinar hosted by the Indonesia Marketing Association (IMA) in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Since March 7, 2022, the government has been conducting a zero-quarantine trial for foreign tourists arriving in Bali Island, the minister said, adding that the program is showing a positive result as the province has seen no COVID-19 surge since the trial started.
"Because we experience no COVID-19 cases surge, we will implement the policy nationwide," he informed.
To bolster tourism and economic recovery, the authority has also reinstated the visa-on-arrival scheme available for foreign tourists from 23 countries arriving in Bali.
The minister confirmed that the scheme would be made available for tourists from more countries, such as China and India.
"To date, tourists have been waiting for the visa-on-arrival scheme reinstatement that will ease their immigration process while arriving in Bali. This is one issue that we need to promptly address," Uno noted.
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According to the ministry’s data, out of around 5 thousand overseas travelers arriving in Bali between February 3 and March 12, 2022, 76 percent were foreign tourists, he noted.
The minister then said he is optimistic that tourism in Bali will recover this year, as more international airlines, such as Emirates and airlines from Australia, reopen their flights to Bali. Singapore Airlines has confirmed to allot more flights to Bali, he noted.
"We hope tourism recovery in Bali will open the door to the new era of tourism that focuses on CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability), and nature and culture," Uno said.
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Translator: M Baqir Idrus A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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