‘Bali has always been open to everyone’: Governor weighs in on supposed plans to transform island into Muslim-friendly destination
UPDATE: Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio said that news of him suggesting to make Bali more Muslim-friendly was a misreporting. Read our update on this here.
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster has now weighed in on supposed plans to transform the island into a Muslim-friendly destination, stressing instead that Bali has always been open to everyone and therefore requires no such labels.
“All this while, tourism in Bali has never looked at [tourists’] religion or origins. Everyone who comes here are treated well, and so far there has been no problem. So don’t go around disturbing the tourism concept here in Bali,” Koster said yesterday, as quoted by Kumparan.
In case you aren’t all caught up, Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Wishnutama Kusubandio, last week suggested that top destinations in the country, such as Bali, will undergo some changes to accommodate more Muslim tourists.
However, Koster said he had communicated via WhatsApp with the minister, who claimed that the media outlet who reported on his plans to transform Bali had made a mistake, according to a report from IDN Times.
“I haven’t communicated [in person], but I think the Minister must seriously learn the tourism policy that we’ve implemented all this time. It’s not necessary to make counterproductive statements,” Koster said.
“If Bali were to be attached with taglines, such as halal tourism or Muslim-friendly tourism, then I will firmly reject it. It must not be so. Let Bali grow on its own, according to its culture.”
