TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said that the ban on foreign tourists renting motorcycles in Bali is very important for maintaining traffic safety.

“We considered it (the decision to impose the ban) according to the security aspect, especially traffic safety, because many foreign tourists are not completely skilled in riding motorbikes and do not have motorbike driving licenses," he said on Wednesday.

All this time, driving skills and license issues have not been monitored properly, he added.

"If they had an accident (due to their clumsy driving skills), it would certainly be fatal," the minister continued.

The government received a lot of suggestions to better monitor and take strict action against traffic violations by foreign tourists, he said.

Following up on those inputs, his ministry coordinated with the government of Bali province to bolster the dissemination of local traffic regulations to all foreign tourists, he informed.

"We have also published ‘Dos and Don'ts’ Guidelines to help the task force (to disseminate the traffic rules) to ensure the safety and comfort of the tourism activities of the foreign nationals (in Indonesia)," he said.

Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan had emphasized that Bali needs no disruptive foreign tourists who violate the law, as they would only cause havoc in the region.

Meanwhile, head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office Tjok Bagus Pemayun said that the ban on the use of rented motorbikes has been included in Article 7 Paragraph 4 Letter (g) of the Bali Governor’s Regulation Number 28 of 2020 regarding tourism management in Bali.

The regulation states that all tourists visiting Bali should become proper tourists and behave in an orderly manner by using the transportation facilities provided by travel agents.

“The governor’s regulation (on the use of transportation by tourists) has been established. Currently, we are still coordinating with the Bali Regional Police regarding the implementation (of the regulation) in the field,” Pemayun stated.

He added that his party expects that each tourism stakeholder in Bali will be educated about the rule, not only foreigners, but also local people.

ANTARA

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