Bandara Ngurah Rai. Source: Bali.com |
Bali, a beautiful Island, a piece of paradise on earth, globally famous for its preserved culture and home to beautiful beaches and ancient temples. It used to be a place of billion tourists, now it becomes empty streets and empty beaches. Bali is among the hardest hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has put global travels to a halt since March 2020. The impact of the pandemic is more devastating in Bali than in any other area in the archipelago.
Bali is dealing with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic that left hotel occupancy down to nearly zero and many people unemployed since Bali relies on tourism. The crisis has also caused challenges in other sectors such as agriculture which used to supply restaurants, hotels and other touristic amenities. This situation is much worse than the 2002 bombing attacks.
Many hotels and restaurants are forced to close and cut their employees. Grand Puncak Sari Restaurant in Kintamani is one of those. Former employee, Ida Pramuningsih needs to survive this obstacle by selling foods door to door.
"When pandemic hits Indonesia, everything changes. I don't have job and no other income. It really is a disaster for us, tourism workers. But I do need to survive"Ida said.
In common with a growing number of Balinese, the pandemic has made us think more about whether we want to return to working in the tourism industry and its reliance on foreign visitors. Some Balinese think the island would be better off developing other sectors of its economy instead. Bali has a lot of potential, it's just not well-developed.
Many Balinese are optimistic that the island is ready to reopen, but they need to make sure the main problem which is COVID-19 has to be solved first. When everything is secure enough, we can start over again.
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