Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto made a visit to Bali in his new role, making several impactful statements that even surprised officials in his government. The president announced that the airport project in North Bali would not be canceled, as some in the tourism sector had anticipated. On the contrary, it has become a top priority. Prabowo sees this project as key to Bali’s development in the coming years.
During his visit to the province, President Subianto emphasized that he would fulfill his campaign promise to deliver an airport to the north—something he’s long envisioned. With this infrastructure development, he stated that Bali could become the next Hong Kong or Singapore in the region.
Discussions about a North Bali airport have come and gone in the news for nearly a decade. Only traffic congestion and issues with foreign lawbreakers have sparked similar heated debates. In late 2022, construction of the airport was officially postponed and removed from the list of national strategic projects by then-President Joko Widodo.
The project was rejected again by Democratic Party leaders, notably former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, in 2023. One of the main reasons for this rejection was concern for local residents in Buleleng Regency in northwestern Bali, whose homes would be affected.
During his presidential campaign, Prabowo Subianto made a clear promise to Buleleng residents that, if elected, he would build the airport. The two primary challenges now are acquiring privately-owned land and securing sufficient funding for the multi-billion-rupiah project.
Building a second airport in Bali could help reduce road congestion and, paradoxically, improve service quality at Ngurah Rai International Airport.
President Subianto explained, “We will make Bali the new Singapore, the new Hong Kong; I promise we will become the hub of this region.”
He urged Bali’s regional leaders to think big and believe that nothing is impossible.
“Indonesia should be prosperous and just; prosperity should be for all Indonesians, not just a few, agreed?”
Responding to President Subianto’s statements, Bali Tourism Board head Cok Bagus Pemayun remarked that the project could help distribute tourism more evenly across the province, though he remains cautious about the idea of a new airport.
“Of course, we’d end up with two distinct zones. Foreign tourists might stay in the north, while domestic tourists would land at Ngurah Rai. This requires further study.”
Pemayun also agreed that a second airport could help ease road congestion in the central and southern parts of the island. Currently, Ngurah Rai Airport directs traffic toward Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu, and Seseh to the west, Nusa Dua and Sanur to the east, Uluwatu, Kutuh, and Ungasan to the south, and Ubud to the north.
When asked about the impact of a second airport on Bali as a whole, Pemayun stated that any infrastructure, particularly an airport, positively influences the ability to distribute tourist density across the island.
Meanwhile, Bali officials shared concerns over the new president’s statement. Putu Anom, an academic from Udayana University in Bali, warned that trying to turn Bali into another Singapore or Hong Kong could have disastrous effects, potentially destroying the heritage that makes the island unique.
“It doesn’t have to be the same as Singapore or Hong Kong. Those are city-states with high-rise skylines. We don’t have to create that here. We can observe and learn from their experience. Such skyscrapers are not for Bali.”
Anom added that, in his view, while Singapore is Southeast Asia’s most developed country, it lacks the natural and cultural heritage that Bali has.
He expressed concern that if current trends in traffic and waste management persist, tourists might be less likely to return to Bali. He called for any airport development in North Bali to be limited in scope and urged communities across Bali not to rely solely on tourism as a primary income source. Instead, he suggested locals diversify by developing businesses in other sectors and integrating tourism products and services, such as agriculture, plantations, fishing, and crafts.
The initial airport plans included extensive infrastructure, with two runways to be built on reclaimed land.
However, even after these bold statements from the country’s leaders, whether the North Bali International Airport will be launched in the coming years remains uncertain.
Sources: kumparanNews, liputan6
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