A news.com.au report says that Indonesia considering a national ban on alcohol with bill being debated, could be the final straw for tourism to Bali, an overseas travel favourite among Aussies.
The report goes on to say that prior to the pandemic, Bali attracted around one million Aussies each year, but now, the island paradise sits in ruins with some luxury resorts completely empty and vandalised, with at the same time, Indonesia’s House of Representatives is resuming a debate on a controversial bill that would see consumption and distribution of alcohol banned across the country, including in the tourist mecca Bali.
Under the proposed new laws, alcohol would be banned across the country, meaning distributing alcohol is punishable with 10 years in prison and consuming alcohol is punishable with three years in prison, with Bali certainly further decimated by the ban on alcohol.
With Australians accounting for more than a quarter of Bali’s one million annual visitors, The Herald Sun reports that 21 politicians from the conservative Islamic parties quoted verses from the Koran that argue Muslims must be prohibited from imbibing alcohol because it makes disciples stray from Allah, with West Australian Jack Ahearn who lives in Bali and has been documenting the bleak downfall of the once-thriving tourist haven saying he wrote on Facebook in late October that Kuta was a ghost town and that “videos and pictures I post don’t do justice to the feeling this place gives off now”, adding, “I drive through Kuta most days to go surf”, and, ““Every week there are more for sale signs, for rent signs, empty businesses and buildings – it’s nuts.
“The videos and pictures I post don’t do justice to the feeling this place gives off now”, adding, “The only time I’ve seen it ‘busy’ since February is when there is a food hand out and families are lined up by the 100s.”
He also said, “If you have the means, reach out to your holiday driver you use or any Balinese you know and love.“ “I’m sure they could use a $1 or $2.” “It’s a long , long, long way away for places like Kuta to recover.”
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
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