VP Gibran Mobilizes Ministries to Address Bali Tourism Issues

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening Bali’s tourism sector during a meeting with industry stakeholders at the Bali Tourism Polytechnic on Friday, February 13, 2026, as part of efforts to address persistent structural challenges in the country’s top tourist destination.

Accompanied by Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana and MSME Minister Maman Abdurrahman, the Vice President met with 74 tourism business representatives and regional officials to hear concerns and gather policy input, particularly those affecting Bali’s competitiveness and sustainability.

The meeting aimed to facilitate direct communication between tourism stakeholders and the central government, enabling authorities to better understand operational constraints, opportunities and strategic priorities in national tourism development, with a focus on Bali.

“So yesterday (in January) we had a coordination meeting, but that was for national tourism. Today is specifically to discuss Bali. For that reason, today we invited colleagues from associations working and focusing on the tourism sector,” Gibran said during the meeting, as quoted on Tourism Ministry's official website.

He stressed Bali’s strategic importance, noting that nearly 45 percent of Indonesia’s approximately 15 million foreign tourist arrivals enter through the island.

“Bali is the face of Indonesia. Bali is the first impression for foreign tourists when they arrive. We must guard this carefully,” he said.

Tourism industry representatives raised several key issues, including infrastructure and destination development in priority tourism areas, safety improvements through training and certification, licensing challenges and waste management concerns.

Responding to the concerns, VP Gibran called for stronger coordination between the central government, regional administrations and industry players to resolve long-standing bottlenecks.

“We will immediately follow up on waste problems, water problems, certification problems, animal welfare and infrastructure issues. We want to keep raising our tourism targets. This was achieved yesterday, but we must be able to beat neighboring countries. There is still a lot of homework, Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said.

The Vice President also emphasized the importance of maintaining tourism momentum during the first quarter of 2026, which includes major holiday periods such as the year-end holidays, Lunar New Year and the upcoming Idul Fitri and school holidays.

Tourism Minister Widiyanti said the government would incorporate industry feedback into future policy formulation to ensure sustainable sector growth.

“We hope the views expressed today will serve as the foundation for strengthening policies to advance Indonesia’s tourism sector to be more competitive and sustainable,” she said.

Addressing waste management concerns, Minister Widiyanti said the government was preparing Waste-to-Energy (WtE) facilities in several regions, including Bali, where implementation is scheduled to begin in March 2026.

“We hope the Governor does not close the Suwung Landfill yet, until the Waste-to-Energy program is fully operational,” she said.

To further support tourism recovery and affordability, the government has introduced transport incentives, including a 17 to 18 percent discount on domestic economy-class flights, a 30 percent discount on rail and sea transport tickets and the elimination of ferry port service fees.

Minister Widiyanti said these measures were intended to stimulate travel demand and ensure Indonesia remains competitive in attracting both domestic and international tourists. ***