Bali's Benoa Prioritized to Become Cruise Terminal
According to the Department of Culture and Tourism, Bali's southern
seaport of Benoa is being prioritized for development as an
international standard turn-around port for cruise vessels.
In a report carried in Bisnis Indonesia, the government is reportedly
seeking to equip the Benoa Port facility with hotels and amusement
centers seen as necessary supports to a passenger port facility. The
report also says that the provincial government of Bali has been asked
to undertake dredging in various parts of the current harbor to allow
visits by larger vessels.
The Secretary General of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Sapta
Nirwandar, told a meeting of sea-tourism operators: "We want Benoa to
become a cruise ship terminal with the dimensions of an entertainment
area in accordance with the dynamics exhibited by other international
turn-around-ports. Benoa has become a priority for us."
Sapta went on to explain that Benoa has become a top priority nationally
for development as a turn-around-port out of consideration of the local
potential for sea tourism. The leading tourism official also justified
the decision of his department by pointing to the growing number of
cruise passengers calling on the port of Benoa every year.
Sapta said: "Last year alone some 1.7 million (foreign) tourists visited
Bali. The number of visits by cruise ships to Bali is also large. We
are targeting that by 2009 that a turn-around port is in operation,
creating a an international cruise destination that is equal to
Singapore."
By developing Benoa as a cruise port Sapta is certain that the number of
cruise ship visits to Bali will increase and this, in turn, will act as
a stimulus to developing cruise tourism in eastern Indonesia.
Didien Junaedy, the Secretary General of the Association of Sea Tourism
Operators (Gahawisri) welcomed Sapta's comment, describing this as
positive development in national sea tourism.
At the same time, Junaedy cautioned the government not to focus only on
Benoa, as there were many other ports in the rest of Indonesia worthy of
their attention.
In response, Sapta said the government has plans for development and
upgrading of port facilities in other areas, such as Batam, Bintan,
Maksassar and North Sulawesi.
Source : http://www.balidiscovery.com/update/update599.asp
