REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- Chinese tourists want Bali to develop its tourism attractions to avoid monotony in its existing natural beauty and cultural attractions.
"I have conveyed the desire of tourists here in Bali for the local government in Bali so that Bali's tourism attractions can be developed further," said the Ambassador to China and Mongolia, Soegeng Rahardjo, in Beijing on Friday.
He said that if Bali still wants to draw foreign tourists, including from China, its local government and tourism industry should be smart and innovative.
As an attraction parameter of the archipelagic beauty, Bali should be able to represent the beauty of all the regions of Indonesia.
"Bali must provide the opportunity for UMKM (micro, small, and medium enterprises) in Indonesia to market its products. If it is possible, all kinds of craft products and regional cuisine throughout the archipelago should be found in Bali so that they can be known to the world community," said Soegeng.
In addition, he suggested that Bali should build an international hospital so that people coming to the island, come not only for tourism but also for a health care purposes in line with increasing public awareness about the importance of health and fitness.
"And, no less important is that Bali should also be able to develop itself as a center for scientific research," he added.
The number of foreign tourists coming from to Bali have shown a growth trend over the recent years.
In January 2017, the number of Chinese tourists coming to Bali reached 194,975, far exceeding the target of the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia, which was set at only 154 thousand people. It is higher than in the same period last year, which was only 108 thousand.
China's tourist arrivals to Indonesia also surpassed several other countries in the Asia-Pacific region in January 2017.
In 2016, the number of Chinese tourists arriving from the Chinese mainland was recorded at 1,452,971 people, reflecting an increase of 27.31 percent from 2015 when it was 1,141,330 million.
To realize the target, the Ministry of Tourism aggressively held travel exhibitions in several regions on the Chinese mainland. This year, there were several exhibitions held by the Tourism Ministry, including for promotion of golf tourism packages, in Langfang, Hebei Province, on Thursday, April 6.The regional government of the Badung regency also promoted the Bali tourism market in Tianjin and Mongolia this week.
In the Boao Asia Forum held in Hainan Province late last month, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said 700 million people will be traveling overseas during the next five years.
This shows that China opened the door as wide as possible for its citizens, who want to travel abroad, including to Indonesia, in line with the increasing living standards of the Chinese people.
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