It can't be said that many world-famous artists are coming to Bali right now. Perhaps just for vacation. Big artists prefer big stadiums, and on the Island of the Gods, these star-favored venues are still lacking. Another problem is visas because performing is a job, and it means artists and all the staff need to get a KITAS just for one or two shows. This issue should be addressed with a new artist visa. The Bali authorities are also considering an arena for performances.
Some time ago, there was a rather amusing story with the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, Sandiaga Uno. He couldn't go to Singapore for a meeting because plane tickets and hotels were sold out ahead of Taylor Swift's performance, who gave an exclusive concert there.
This story inspired the regent of one of the districts in Bali, Sanggu Nyoman Sedana Arta, and he decided to turn Bangli into a venue for national and international music concerts.
"We will build a sports center with a covered field for 10,000 spectators in Bangli. In addition to sports, we will use this stadium to turn Bangli into a concert city," said Sedana Arta.
Construction of the Bangli Sports Center has already begun, and recently Arta, together with the regent of Badung, Giri Prasto, laid the foundation stone. The project, costing 650 billion rupiahs, will be one of the most modern sports facilities on the island.
"In the future, various facilities will be available here, one of which is an international standard athletics track, which is currently not available in Bali. Thanks to this facility, national and international competitions can be held in Bangli," said the regent.
As for the musical aspect, Sedana Arta has already calculated everything: "Tickets for Shakira's concert cost 3-10 million IDR. If we take an average of 3 million IDR and multiply it by 10,000 spectators, we get 30 billion rupiahs. Entertainment tax is 15 percent, so Bangli will receive approximately 4.5 billion IDR in taxes."
This regency already attracts a significant number of tourists, as it is home to the mountainous region of Kintamani, Mount Batur, and the village of Penglipuran. Now, it will likely also have the largest concert venue on the island. However, it's worth considering that a capacity of 10,000 people is not that much. For comparison, Jakarta's stadium is designed for 80,000 visitors. Nevertheless, Arta is full of ideas that can be realized with this ambitious project and is already creating a list of artists he would like to invite to perform. He has also secured the support of island leaders. For example, Giri Prasta, the regent of Badung, already supports Arta's grand plans because in the case of major performances, the occupancy of hotels and restaurants in Canggu, Kuta, and Seminyak will increase. Unfortunately, the completion timeline for the construction of the sports complex has not been announced yet, so it's difficult to say exactly when Taylor will grace the island with concerts.
Sources: nusabali, tribunnews
You can add one right now!