Bali Ombudsman recommends standardization to cope with cheap tourism

Pewarta : ANTARA News Bali

Bali Ombudsman recommends standardization to cope with cheap tourism

Kepala Ombudsman Indonesia Perwakilan Bali Umar Ibnu Alkhatab (Antaranews Bali/Ni Luh Rhisma/lhs/2018)

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali`s Chief Ombudsman Umar Ibnu Alkhatab said it does not necessarily reject tourists from any countries including China only because of issue of cheap tourism.

What needs to be done is finding a solution, therefore, it is necessary to have standardization of services in dealing with cheap tourism , Umar said.

"There are three types of standardization needed externally and internally. They are standardization of tour operators, accommodation and consumption tariffs and service of cultural players," he said commenting about polemic about cheap tourism here on Tuesday.

He said the standardization of players in tourism business has to be observed by tour operators/travel agents, standardization of accommodation and consumption tariffs has to be adopted by hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops, depending on the category or class of the service business and standardization of services of cultural players is effective in the form of certification of cultural arts (quality standard) .

The results of the discussion in standardization between the provincial administration and stakeholders have to be reported to the Tourism Ministers of the countries of all foreign tourists visiting Bali.

The Indonesian Tourism Minister would then "G to G" discuss the standardization scheme with the Tourism Minister of the foreign countries.

"In practice internationally, implementation of the standardization would need to be legally controlled either by the tourism office, the manpower office , trade office or tourism police, which will coordinate with Interpol. Certainly, sanction would be applied," he said.

He said he was confident application of standardization together by the country of destination (in the quality of objects) and country of origin (in quality of subjects) will minimize cheap tourism package that the good image of the Island of Gods would be well preserved.

"Another recommendation is application of non cash transaction system integrated between countries with cellular phone application. Bank Indonesia says technologically, Wechatpay and Alipay could be in synergy with banks in Indonesia that Chinese tourist do not have to change transaction system when shopping in Indonesia. With the synergy, payment system would be recorded in foreign exchange and tax income," he said.

Meanwhile, the chairwoman of "Bali Liang" or the committee in Asita Bali, which is specially serving Chinese tourist, Elsye Deliana expressed support for the step taken by the government to shut down shops violating regulation including those affiliated to organization practicing "zero tour dollar".

Elsye Deliana said travel agents from China also agreed to help eliminate "cheap tourism practice" after she and other tourism business players launched promotion earlier this month.

"We want to convince agents in China that we would rise again with new face, no more `zero tour fee`. They have to help us as Bali would not sell cheap again," he said.

In the first 11 months of 2018, the International Airport of I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Denpasar, recorded 5.62 million arrivals of foreign tourists or 7.3 percent larger than in the same period last year. Chinese tourist arrivals were the largest at 1.29 million or 23 percent.

Reporting by Edy M Yakub (SYS/AS/a014).
Editor: Edy M Yakub
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