Therese Sta. MariaIndonesia is working hard and quick in administering the COVID-19 vaccines to its people. In order to expedite the countermeasures against the coronavirus, the Indonesian government recently gave the green light for private companies to run their own vaccination drives for their workers and family members. As of writing, roughly two million Indonesians have already been fully vaccinated by government efforts.
So, what does this mean for their tourism sector? According to Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), they are expecting to reopen their borders to international tourists this summer should the vaccination distribution stay on track while residents continue to comply with health protocols.
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The president recently took a trip to Bali where he evaluated and reviewed the vaccination campaign in several places including Ubud and Denpasar. Upon careful inspection, the president released a statement during a meeting with stakeholders at Harris Hotel Sunset Road in Denpasar, “After observing the current situation, I plan to reopen the international borders by June or July 2021. It won’t be easy, but if all the people are supportive of this program, it won’t be impossible either to bring back tourism this mid-year,” said the president.
Image credit: Guillaume Marques
President Jokowi is specifically targeting Ubud, Sanur, and Nusa Dua to become safe zones for foreign tourists in Bali. “I see that in the province of Bali we want to concentrate on three designated green zones, specifically Ubud, Sanur, and Nusa Dua. We are optimistic of these becoming green zones, green areas that we can fully open to tourists,” he said.
Aside from securing a safe and healthy environment for everyone, the goal is to revive Indonesia’s damaged tourism sector. Reopening the beaches of Bali, which are Indonesia’s strongest tourist attractions, will greatly impact the recovery of the country’s economy, and more importantly, return the livelihoods of Bali’s residents. Indonesia hopes to vaccinate 181 million people out of its population of 270 million by the end of 2021.
Featured image credit: Artem Beliaikin | Unsplash
