The US$11.51 million in foreign exchange came from the shipment of 5.96 million pieces of souvenirs, down 14.49 percent compared to 6.98 million pieces in the same period a year earlier, Head of the Public Relations Bureau at the Bali Provincial Administration I Ketut Teneng said on Sunday.
Ketut said as a main tourist destination which attracted at least 2.57 million tourists a year, Bali was one of the potential markets for small scale industrial products, including metal handicraft goods.
"Almost every foreign tourist who holidayed in Bali bought souvenirs including metal handicraft goods before they returned home," he said.
Likewise, most of domestic tourists also bought metal handicraft while visiting Bali. "It is likely the value of metal handicraft goods bought by foreign and domestic tourists is far higher than that recorded by the local industry and trade office," he said.
He said market demand for Balinese metal handicraft had of late fluctuated and the condition was something normal.
Metal handicraft played a strategic role in supporting the province`s non-oil/non-gas exports in the first eleven months of 2011 which reached US$462.16 million.
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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