0 Tanah Lot ready to receive APEC delegates

Listed among the possible sites to visit for the upcoming Asia-Pasific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit delegates, Tanah Lot is ready to host the international guests. Tanah Lot, located in Beraban village in Tabanan regency, is about 30 kilometers from Denpasar. It has long been a favorite destination, close on the heels of Kuta Beach. Last year, Tanah Lot welcomed 2.55 million visitors, 45 percent of whom were foreigners. The 36-hectare site mainly offers panoramic views of Tanah Lot Temple and rugged natural scenery where visitors can enjoy a stunning sunset. 

There are five other temples on the site, namely Pakendungan, Batu Mejan, Batu Bolong, Jro Kandang and Enjung Galuh. Over the past two years, Tanah Lot has been undergoing a number of renovations to better serve visitors. Among the improvements is the construction of sidewalks, footpaths and ditches, as well as a parking lot expansion, among others. As many as 30 security personnel and 45 pecalang (traditional security guards) now also guard the site 24 hours every day. 

Deputy of Resource Assessment and SMEs at the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, I Wayan Dipta, recently said that Tanah Lot was on the list of planned places to visit for the APEC delegates. Other destinations were Tampak Siring and the Sanur Village Festival. “Tanah Lot was considered for its beautiful natural panorama, while Tampak Siring is loaded with history and cultural elements. Meanwhile, the Sanur Village Festival is also listed for the event’s efforts to promote local SMEs,” said Dipta. 

I Ketut Toya Adnyana, the operational manager of Tanah Lot, said the site was ready to receive the APEC delegations. “Usually, there is no special welcome. However, security will surely be tightened by engaging presidential security, the Bali Police and other related stakeholders,” said Adnyana, who added that the services for regular visitors would not be affected. Adnyana offered his assurances that Tanah Lot already had extensive experience of being visited by representatives of international conferences held in Bali.

Despite the rapidly approaching date for the APEC Summit in October, Bali Tourism Agency head Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu said that as of today, the agency had not received any confirmation on which locations the visiting APEC delegates had chosen to visit. He said that the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry was in charge of the matter. “This matter is fully handled by the ministry. I heard that there were a few places available for selection, including Taman Safari, Pecatu, Tanah Lot and Tampak Siring,” said Subhiksu, who nonetheless was confident that all the destination managements would always be ready to host the visits. 

Visits to Bali’s tourist attractions will serve as a promotional tool for Indonesia’s tourism overall. Deputy Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sapta Nirwandar previously stated that the visit destinations would be selected based on security and comfort considerations, as well as the destinations’ attraction. As an international tourist destination, Bali has a lot of potential places to visit. According to the regional tourism agency, Bali has around 270 tourism attractions, which are already, or will be, developed.

source : bali daily