Bali tourism association urges to address traffic congestion

Tourism officials in Bali has urged the authorities to address the chronic traffic congestion in the tourist island to prevent the weaking of the tourism industry in the beautiful island, local press reported Tuesday. The request was made as congestion had drawn complaints from foreign tourists. "It will indirectly slow Bali's economic growth. Eventually Bali will lose many tourists and investment. Bali's special advantages will disappear,"Bali Tourism Alliance Chairman Gusti Kade Sutawa was quoted by the Jakarta globe as saying. Foreigners living in Bali, the center of Indonesia's tourism industry, said they could not stand the island's chronic traffic congestion, and that it was beginning to impact its tourism industry. "The traffic really dampens the spirit of tourists visiting Bali, and there needs to be a solution," said U.S. citizen Radu Frentiu. As many as 244,400 foreign holidaymakers visited Bali island in October 2011, a 6.43 percent increase over the same period last year, the Statistic Bureau announced on Dec. 1. Radu, who has lived in Bali for four years and is the general manager of a hotel in the tourist district of Kuta, said complaints about the traffic were common. "People often complain that they arrive at the hotel late, that wherever they want to go takes ages," he said. There are several areas, he added, that are prone to severe jams, including the airport area, the bypass road and Kuta. Besides the congestion, visitors also complain about the choking exhaust fumes from vehicles. Malaysian tourist Huzni Muit said that over the years, the traffic had worsened, especially in Kuta. Construction on a new underpass expected to help ease the congestion in Kuta will start at the end of the year, said Susalit Alius, head of the project committee for National Road VII. "While the roadwork is under way, road users will be inconvenient a little. We hope the public will understand the underpass is being built to improve their lives," he said. Indonesia aims to attract 7.7 million foreign tourists coming into the country this year and 8 million next year, Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu said in November. Over 7 million foreign tourists came into the country last year, according to the tourism ministry. The government expects a 8.4-billion-U.S. dollar revenue from tourists' spending this year, up from 7.6 billion U.S. dollar last year.