As Bali will host the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit next year, the government on Saturday
launched Gerakan Bali Bersih (Clean Bali Movement) to raise public
awareness on preserving the island’s environment. Initiated by the
Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, a cleanup took place on Kuta
Beach and was a joint effort involving stakeholders, students, civil
organizations and the public, as part of the island’s preparations for
next year’s important event. Firmansyah Rahim, the ministry’s director
general for tourism destination development, said the activity in Bali
was part of a national program to improve the country’s image as a
clean, beautiful and convenient destination.
“We hope that people in Bali will always
keep their environment clean, not just for APEC,” he said. Cleanup
activities under this program will take place in the coming months in
other locations until October next year, when the summit is due to be
held in Nusa Dua. Hundreds of participants joined the cleanup at the
island’s iconic beach. A tree planting also took place during the event.
In addition to the beach cleanup, the ministry has already held other
events related to the Clean Bali Movement, including training on safety
management for hotels attended by members of Bali’s Hotel and Restaurant
Association (PHRI Bali), police and hotel security officers, as well as
a campaign on cleanliness and garbage management that took place in six
tourism villages in November.
All the island’s tourism stakeholders are
gearing up to welcome the summit. Recently, Tourism and Creative
Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu ensured that all preparations for
the APEC Summit were proceeding according to plan. One of the
preparations underway is the expansion of Ngurah Rai International
Airport, which is expected to be finished between June and July next
year. Other ongoing projects are the construction of the elevated
highway over the ocean and the underpass at the Dewa Ruci intersection,
both to be completed by July next year. For each of the 21 heads of
state and accompanying delegations at the summit, one hotel in the BTDC
(Bali Tourism Development Corporation) complex and surrounding areas
will be set aside, meaning that each national delegation will be
assigned to one hotel.
In order to meet the accommodation
requirements, star-rated hotels outside the complex will also be used,
including those located in Tanjung Benoa, Sawangan, Jimbaran and
Uluwatu. Firmansyah said the APEC conference would have a positive
impact on tourism, not only in Bali, but also nationwide, as it was
expected to boost foreign tourist arrivals to the country. “Besides
APEC, we will also host other international events next year,” he said.
Indonesia expects 9 million foreign tourist arrivals next year, an
increase from this year’s target of 8 million tourists. As of October,
the number of foreign tourists visiting the country had reached some 6.5
million, a rise of 5 percent compared to 6.2 in the period January to
October last year.
Earlier last week, in addition to the
APEC preparation, a community-initiated movement cleaned up Keramas
beach in Gianyar, one of the island’s popular surfing spots. Staff and
students from Bali Wise, Island Sustainability Center and Komune Resort
joined together to clean the beach and the sand dunes south of the
Keramas break, as well as the first 100 meters of the river. Fifteen
Ketapang trees were planted to provide shade and erosion control. These
trees were grown in the compost they were planted in, which was produced
from the Waste to Wonder Program at the Island Sustainability Center
sponsored by Rotary Club Bali, Nusa Dua. Experts advised on ensuring the
trees were planted in the best position for them to get off to a
healthy start.
source : bali daily
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