Bali and Indonesia nationwide are experiencing one of the worst rainy seasons in living memory, and there are still many months to go.
As areas of Sumatra have been devastated this week by unprecedented flooding, and as many communities in Bali are still recovering from September’s disasters, leaders in the province are calling for a cooperative approach to safety, especially in the tourism sector.
While Bali is in the low season, everything is about to change in less than two weeks, when the festive season really gets underway. Christmas and New Year are a big deal in Bali, with more than one million tourists arriving in the province for the holiday period.
This festive season falls right in the middle of the rainy season’s peak, and with widespread devastation across Indonesia right now, leaders in Bali want to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to safety.
In a public statement, the Deputy Governor of Bali, Nyoman Giri Prasta, has asked all travel operators and tourist transportation services to fully understand the standard operating procedures in place to protect both tourists and tourism staff.
Whether conducting risk assessments for journeys or getting fully up to speed with evacuation plans and emergency response operations, the Deputy Governor wants everyone to prioritise safety.
He explained that tourists also have a role to play in ensuring their safety and the associated risks involved in travel and tourism activities. Deputy Governor Prasta explained, “Travelers must have a complete picture of the destination or tourist attraction, especially if they’re bringing tourists with a guide. All the terrain of the trip must be known from the start.”
He added, “Tourist safety at tourist attractions must also be a serious concern. SOPs must be clear so that collaboration between local governments and businesses can run optimally.” He noted that this is especially important for adventure activities such as ATV riding, rafting, Bali Swings, and mechanical rides, sharing, “Security must be truly guaranteed so that tourists feel safe and comfortable.”
The Chairwoman of the Indonesian Recreational Park Business Association (PUTRI), Inda Trimafo Yudha, told reporters that tourism businesses have been ordered to ensure that any incidents involving tourists are fully investigated to establish whether tourists were negligent or whether reckless behaviour by tourism providers resulted in harm.
The comments come just weeks after five Chinese tourists were killed in a bus crash in the province. Yudha explained,” We believe each case must be evaluated from various angles. If it’s due to negligence by the travel agency or operator, action must be taken. But if it’s due to infrastructure, it’s also a shared responsibility to fix it immediately.”
There is a key focus on ensuring that tourism transport providers in Bali adhere to the standard operating procedure in place to keep everyone safe. Several serious incidents have been recorded in Bali in the last month.
First, the fatal crash on the Singaraja-Denpasar Highway, where five Chinese tourists were killed, followed by an incident involving a foreign tourist swept away by a tidal wave at Diamond Beach in Nusa Penida, as well as a fast boat crash just off Nusa Penida days later.
All these incidents have been hailed as an urgent wake-up call for tourism leaders in Bali to improve safety protocols and staff training.
Here at The Bali Sun, we share the same call to action week after week, but it is of the utmost importance.
We cannot impress firmly enough the importance of taking out a fully comprehensive travel and international health insurance policy.
What’s more, it is vital to read all the police documents to understand what is and is not covered by the policy, and how to make a claim in an emergency.
In all too many cases, tourists take out standard insurance policies without checking the small print, only to discover too late that cover is not provided when they need it most.
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