Bali Is Ready to Host the 144th IPU Assembly
Vice Chairperson of Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Putu Supadma Rudana, spoke to editors in chief of various mainstream national media during a press conference on the upcoming 144th IPU Assembly, in Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday (19/1/2022). Photo: Runi/Man
Vice Chairperson of Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Putu Supadma Rudana, said that Balinese people welcome with open arms the upcoming 144th IPU Assembly that will be held in Nusa Dua, from 20 to 24 March 2022. Rudana believed that organizing a conference of the world parliament organization would be a positive momentum to revive the Balinese tourism and hospitality industry.
“A great majority of Balinese people depend on tourism. Every time I speak with Balinese, they always say they want the world to know that Bali is now safe and that COVID-19 cases are under control, and most of the populations there are fully vaccinated. A few of them have even received boosters (the third dose). In addition, Bali, as a tourism destination, has applied the Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environment Sustainability (CHSE) standard to welcome international tourists,” Rudana explained after attending the Press Conference on the upcoming 144th IPU Assembly with editors in chief of various national media in Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday (19/1/2022).
Rudana continued by adding that tourism actors and Balinese people in general are confident that Bali is more than ready to host the international event after showing excellent performance on the application of the health protocols. Therefore, they hope that Island of Gods will soon be opened for international visitors. “Hopefully, the tourism sector will gain its momentum through the Upcoming IPU event, and the recovery of people will once again benefit financially from the hospitality industry,” he said.
The Democrat Party politician hoped that government’s policy would pay a great attention to tourism, especially to tourism in Bali. “The most important thing is the opportunity and positive momentum to promote Bali, and Indonesian tourism to the world community. We hope that the central government’s policy will take into consideration Indonesian tourism, especially the Balinese tourism,” Rudana concluded.
The Secretary General of the House of Representatives, Indra Iskandar, who also attended the press conference, highlighted that the upcoming 144th IPU Assembly will comply with the Indonesian government's policy on the pandemic handling. “We've had a consultation with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), National COVID-19 Task Force, and Bali Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and we will ensure that the event will fully comply with government regulations,” Iskandar stated.
In addition, even though the event - which brings together parliaments from around the world - will be conducted in a bubble system, the delegation will still be able to enjoy certain places, including cultural tourism destinations and MSMEs in Bali safely. “We will organize side events in a bubble system that will allow the delegation to access MSMEs activities in Bali safely, so they can visit and shop in our MSMEs community,” he concluded. (bia/sf)
