Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Widiyanti Wardhana has visited Bali to assess the extent of the damage from last week’s flooding.
Only two weeks ago, Minister Wardhana had to issue a statement confirming that the country is safe to visit after political demonstrations were held nationwide, and this week she has issued yet more statements confirming safety after the floods.
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Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Wardhana visited Denpasar on Saturday, 13th September. She visited the Kumbasari Market in Denpasar, which has been the worst-affected public space on the island.
Minister Wardhana spoke with many vendors who have lost their livelihoods to the floods, many of whom have had their homes devastated, too.
Flooding was widespread across Denpasar, Badung Regency, and Gianyar Regency. More than 14 people have been killed by the floods, with the death toll still rising as recovery teams work through the debris and are discovering more bodies swept away by the flash flood waters.
Minister Wardhana spoke to reporters about the impact the flooding of 10th and 11th September has had on tourism. She noted, “We have checked that there are no cancellations at all from tourists, no flight or hotel cancellations, even though it is very full, it is normal.”
She confirmed that the Bali Provincial Government is still calculating the scale of the damage and devastation in the worst-affected areas.
She told reporters, “We see that the affected area of the ground floor and the first floor, the second floor in the art section looks okay, it’s okay. The Bali government is calculating, and in the discussion, that there will be compensation for the community.”
Minister Wardhana was clear that while travel warnings issued by foreign officers and travel advice bureaus are fair, they are not a call to panic or amend travel plans; simply move with a heightened awareness of the situation on the ground.
She told reporters, “Tourism is okay, well, if there is a travel warning, it is a common thing for a country to warn its citizens who travel abroad. But I think Bali will rise back to normal, I think so.
She relayed her orders from President Prabowo Subianto to continue to promote Bali as a positive and welcoming tourism destination.
Speaking to reporters, the Deputy for Destination Development and Infrastructure of the Ministry of Tourism, Hariyanto, explained, “Tourists who will travel should always prioritize safety and maintain health, bring an umbrella or raincoat during outdoor activities, and always update information and weather forecasts sourced from tour operators or from BMKG.”
The BMKG is the Center for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics, and the easiest way for tourists to receive direct updates from this government agency is via the BMKG Bali Instagram account.
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Hariyanto told reporters, “The Ministry of Tourism encourages all related parties to work shoulder to shoulder to mitigate and improve facilities and infrastructure affected by floods in a number of areas so that Bali tourism can return to normal immediately.”
Yet, less than 48 hours after Minister Wardhana and President Subianto’s visit to Bali, more torrential rain hit the southern coast of Bali.
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The popular tourism resort of Canggu has been badly affected by rising flood waters recorded across the area on Monday afternoon, following a morning of non-stop rain.
Speaking to reporters, Wayan Subawa, who owns a grocery store, admitted that he is now on high alert after experiencing last week’s extreme flooding. He confirmed that he has moved his stock to a higher place, including eggs that had been washed away during the previous flood.
He shared, “I’m worried that the water will go inside. Yesterday, the eggs were carried away by the current. But now it has been secured.”
The flood waters have not only been rising in Canggu, but across Seminyak and in Denpasar too. By Monday afternoon, flooding had notably affected Bukit Tunggal Street, Tukad Badung Street, and Gunung Rinjani Street in Denpasar.
