Bali Awaits 3.5 Million Tourists in 2014

The regional government of Bali is hopeful to draw 3.5 million travelers in 2014, a 10-percent raise from this year’s aim of 3.18 million tourists.Bali, the smallest province of Indonesia is an island that includes a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida. It is situated at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java to the west and Lombok to the east, and has its capital of Denpasar at the southern part of the island.

Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, head of Bali Tourism Agency, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that more than 2.97 million tourists had visited the resort island during the January-November period, an increase of 13.38 percent on the same period last year. The total number of foreigners visiting Bali in 2012 was around 2.89 million people, 96.4 percent of the target set. Arrivals for December still had to be included before the agency calculated total foreign visitors for the year.

Subhiksu also revealed that the agency had made an initial projection for next year’s target based on many conditions, including national security, hygiene, traffic, and services.The agency said the global economy’s restoration had also resulted in increased purchasing power for citizens, who were likely to be able to stay longer on the island.