It was a significant week in Indonesian politics, as a new government was sworn in, and new ministers took their positions. After the Minister of Tourism and her deputy assumed their roles, Bali’s tourism leaders discussed future plans, including the controversial Northern Bali Airport project.
Ida Bagus Purwa Sidemen, the Executive Director of Bali’s Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, stated that Bali’s tourism issues are not about building an airport in the north. He emphasized that dealing with misbehaving tourists is a more pressing matter.
“I don’t see the urgency for the Northern Bali Airport right now. In fact, tourism has many immediate challenges, such as the rising number of tourists breaking the rules,” he said.
According to him, the airport project is a long-term plan that won’t be completed within one or two years and might even extend beyond the term of the new president, Prabowo, in 2029. The airport was one of his campaign promises.
Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana, Chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, believes that a development moratorium in popular areas would be sufficient to encourage tourists to explore regions outside of Southern Bali without needing a new airport. He added that promoting international tourism should be more productive with full support from the central government, and improvements in tourist safety standards are also necessary.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa echoed the importance of spreading tourism across the island, mentioning upcoming six-month priority programs for Bali’s tourism transformation, although she didn’t mention the airport.
However, Vice Chairman of Bali’s Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya, hopes that the Northern Bali Airport project will move forward soon, citing the island’s current infrastructure limits and the risks posed by natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, which could disrupt the existing airport’s operations.
The idea of building an airport in Northern Bali has been discussed since 2015, when then-Governor I Made Mangku Pastika supported the project. Plans have included a full development of the airport with two runways, a passenger terminal, and nearby “airport cities” with hotels, schools, and other infrastructure.
The project has faced many delays and feasibility checks, with the most recent proposal situating the airport in Kubutambahan, 40 minutes from Lovina and 90 minutes from Amed.
Sources: tribunbali, detik
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