As Covid curbs ease, Bali eyes tourism uptick

Indonesia lost US$13b due to ban on foreign tourists since pandemic began, says tourism and creative economy minister

Published Wed, Sep 15, 2021 · 05:50 AM

Jakarta

SANDIAGA Uno is an avid marathon runner who has travelled around the world many times to participate in races over the years.

But the successful businessman-turned-politician - currently the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy in President Joko Widodo's Cabinet - now finds himself in his most challenging race to date: trying to keep these two important sectors going amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

It's not an easy task, given that Indonesia has been forced to ban almost all foreign visitors - including to its crown jewel tourism destination, the resort island of Bali - because of the pandemic, which spiked here again in July due to the Delta Variant.

"It's a tough time," Mr Uno said in a recent interview with The Business Times (BT). "There's been a lot of coverage (about what's going on in Indonesia). Some of it is good, but there are also concerns a…