0 Heavy rains, strong winds keep tourists indoor

The heavy rains and strong winds affecting Bali over the last few days have prevented many foreign and domestic visitors from visiting to their favorite places on the island. Rosilia and her family have been in Bali since New Year’s Eve but most of their vacation time has had to be spent inside their hotel rooms and in restaurants because of the bad weather. “We have not been anywhere except to the malls, restaurants or souvenir shops,” said Rosilia sadly. 

The family had initially intended to visit some popular tourist attractions outside of Kuta and do some adventurous water sports. “The plans had to be postponed because of the bad weather. It is like spending holidays at home in Jakarta — nowhere to go,” said a young housewife. Another domestic tourist, Sutrisnawati, had to cancel an outbound program with her friends somewhere outside Kuta. A native of Jakarta, Sutrisnawati had already made a well-organized year-end holiday program with her office colleagues. 

“Rain fell almost every day during our holidays here, so we canceled all our outdoor activities,” she said. Ketut Ardana, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali branch, admitted that the January-February period posed many problems for tour and travel operators, as they could not take tourists to faraway locations because of the weather. Ardana, however, said that some tricks might work well to keep tourists active. 

“Cooking classes, arts and cultural performances, handicrafts and spa treatments will be the best options for hotels and tour operators to offer to their clientele,” Ardana said. Regardless of the bad weather, many tourists still insisted on participating in various holiday trips across Bali. Domestic tourists, especially first-time visitors, are still eager to go to resorts areas such as Kintamani, Bedugul, Tanah Lot and Ubud. Hundreds of buses carrying domestic tourists were parked in many holiday spots. 

Meanwhile, foreigners mostly spend their holidays in their hotels. “They are enjoying swimming, as well as indoor activities, such as reading and dining at in-house restaurants,” Ardana said. Ni Putu Widayati, resident manager at Taman Sari Bali Cottage in Pemuteran, Buleleng in north Bali, said the majority of her guests were foreigners who were taking their year-end vacation. “Because of the bad weather, they are having fun in the hotel. Some are swimming, others are participating in yoga and meditation classes,” she said. In Sanur, foreign tourists were seen exploring the resort’s quiet, beautiful areas. Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra, owner of Santrian Hotel Group in Sanur, said that rains and strong winds had made his guests stay in the hotels.

source : bali daily