Badung tourist businesses must use local products or lose their permits

BADUNG REGENCY, Bali, Indonesia - Tourist businesses operating in Badung regency might lose their permits if they fail to comply with the regency administration’s order to use local products.

The regency’s Tourism Agency head, Tjokorda Raka Darmawan, said on Wednesday that the tourism bylaw stipulated that businesses in the tourism sector should use local products, including crafts and agricultural crops.

For those who failed to comply, the administration would give a warning. If they still disobeyed this regulation, their permits would be revoked.

He said his office would coordinate with other agencies in implementing the regulation to ensure every institution carried out their tasks on dissemination and monitoring.

He said his office had informed hotel and restaurant managements about the regulation, since there were many such businesses operating in the regency.

“We are now still focusing on disseminating the information on this new regulation, but in the future, there will be reward and punishment.”

He said the agency had always reminded hotel and restaurant managements about applicable regulations on every occasion, including when they were taking care of permits and licensing.

The agency has also set up a display room of various local craft products from Badung, including statues made in the regency’s central craft area referred to by the acronym JAS, for Jagapati, Angantaka and Sibang.

In less than one year since the display room was established, this promotional space has managed to stimulate purchases worth Rp 300 million (US$31,140).

“Although our office is located quite far from south Badung, which is the center of tourism, we always have guests, including hotel and restaurant managements, coming to our office,” Darmawan said.

He said some hotels had displayed local paintings or crafts, as well as provided space in the hotel area for local artists to sell their works or demonstrate their skills. “We continue to encourage this cooperation.”

Specifically for agricultural crops, the related agencies still had to prepare the production of goods that were needed most by tourist businesses.

“Besides adapting the quantity and quality standards, we need to ensure the continuity of products through innovation and technology.”

Perry Markus, secretary of the hotel and restaurant association in Bali, said that the association members had been using local products, including fruits and handicrafts.

“For beef, quality remains a problem. The quality of local beef has yet to be competitive with imported meat,” he said.

He said that the administration should act more strictly in implementing its policies by giving rewards and imposing punishments

Sourced: eturbonews