Cruise ship docking bay ‘vital to boosting tourist numbers’

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Mon, 12/13/2010 11:00 AM | Bali
A | A | A |

The Karangasem administration demanded more priority be given to the construction of an international cruise ship docking bay at Tanah Ampo port in the village of Manggis to increase the number of visitors to Bali.

Regent Wayan Geredeg said the project would cost around US$104 million and hoped that the port would commence operation in 2012.

When realized, the port would become one of the largest cruise ship docks in Southeast Asia.

“We need money from the central government to complete the port,” Geredeg told President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during a recent visit by the President to the regency.

He said Bali had enormous potential to attract international cruise ships to visit, and that the development of the cruise ship dock was expected to increase the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali via Karangasem regency.

Karangasem features on many cruise ship itineraries, but due to limited facilities, all cruise ships currently anchor at Padang Bai port while passengers have to take smaller boats to Karangasem.

Between 2001 and 2007, 58 of the 99 cruise ships visiting Indonesia came to Bali, with 37 docking at Karangasem.

“Recently we had to reject ships from Florida because our port was not completed,” Geredeg said, adding that he expected 150 cruise ships a year to call on the port if construction was finished by 2012.

“If every ship brings 2,000 tourists, and every person spends at least $100, this would signify huge additional revenue for Bali.”

As of the end of 2009, the construction of the port had cost Rp 76.3 billion, Rp 56.5 billion provided by the Transportation Ministry, Rp 2.7 billion from the regency budget and Rp 7.1 billion from provincial coffers.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/12/13/cruise-ship-docking-bay-%E2%80%98vital-boosting-tourist-numbers%E2%80%99.html