Holidaymakers Pack Bali`s Kuta Beach

Kuta (Antara Bali) - Thousands of Idul Fitri holidaymakers crowded the famous Kuta beach in Bali on Wednesday.

Since 9 am visitors kept flowing to the beach blocking Jalan Pantai Kuta, the only accessible road to the beach.

Main roads around the neighborhood such as Jalan Legia, Jalan Imam Bonjol, Sunset Road, and Seminyak were also crowded causing serious traffic jams.

To break the jams, traffic police had to work hard to spread traffic flows through several short cuts.

The chief of the Kuta Beach Task Force, Gusti Ngurah Agung Tresna, said the number of visitors had soared drastically.

"Just look at Kuta Beach, Legian Beach. They are all very crowded," he said.

A visitor from Jakarta, Halimah, said she was glad she could visit Bali with her extended family.

"This is the first time I have come to Bali. I am very glad I could enjoy the Idul Fitri holiday in Bali," she said.

She expressed hope that the beautiful Kuta beach would be maintained and preserved.

Hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists meanwhile were seen releasing baby turtles into the sea.

"This is done as part of campaign to preserve rare animal species in Bali," Gusti Ngurah Agung Tresna said.

Agung Tresna, who is a Kuta beach turtle preservation campaign volunteer, said around 100 baby turtles from their conservation center in Kuta beach were released that day.

He expressed hope that the event could also offer a special attraction to visitors.

He said, "Baby turtles must be released into the sea soon after birth, as they immediately need water to survive."

In view of that, he said no exact schedule was given for their release.

A visitor from Surabaya in East Java who took part in the event, Septa, said he felt proud he could participate in releasing the baby turtles.

"This is a rare event," he said, while hoping that the baby turtles would survive so that their population would increase. (WDY)