Shutting Down Bali’s Illegal Travel Agents

(7/22/2011)

According to the vice-chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agents (ASITA), Ketut Ardana, the presence of illegal travel agents in Bali while not a new problem, but the occurrence of these unlicensed operations has increased with the rise of the Internet.

According to Bisnis Bali, Ardana says the 340 legally registered travel agents that are members of ASITA in Bali are urging the government to fully implement the provincial travel law of 2010 and close down illegal tour and travel operations.

In accordance with statements made by Bali’s governor, 2011 should be a year dedicate to enforcement of the rules against illegal and unauthorized travel companies with companies found to be illegal brought into line.
In addition to the many illegal travel agencies, ASITA would like tourism information counter selling tours and tour packages to be closed if licensed travel operators do not operate them.

He called on the Tourism Authority of Bali (Disparda) together with other related government agencies to begin browsing the Internet to uncover illegal Bali travel operators. The data obtained from the Internet can be compared with the membership rolls of ASITA and the travel operators registered at Disparda.

Ardana said that most of the tourism information counters selling packets on the roadside in Bali are illegal and should be moved against in a resolute manner by the government.