DENPASAR – Benoa-Chapter PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) III, Bali planned that in 2015, 60 cruise vessels will be berthed in the biggest Bali’s port.
“This year, we will be visited by 60 cruise vessels. In January 1st, we were visited by Sapphire Princess vessel carrying 2,600 tourists,” said Benoa-Chapter Pelindo III General Manager, Ali Sodikin, in Denpasar, on Monday (1/5).
He said the vessel departed from Singapore to Klang Port, Malaysia, to Benoa Port (Denpasar) and to Australia. “The arrival of the vessel is as positive responses from foreign tourists to come to Bali,” Ali said.
Ali said gradually, the scheduled cruise vessel will arrive at Bali carrying tourists to Bali Island and they will have tour to Bali’s tourism locations such as Sanur, Kuta, Uluwatu, Gianyar, and Tanah Lot of Tabanan Regency. “When the vessel arrives at Benoa Port, tourists will be facilitated by travel agency to visit tourism objects based on the schedule,” he explained.
Last year, he added, Benoa-Chapter Pelindo III, Bali, was visited by 50 cruise vessels. Therefore, it sees visit hike every year. “Visit rate increases every year. In 2013, there were 43 cruise vessels and in 2014, it increased into 50 vessels,” he said.
Ali said each of cruise vessel berthed in Benoa Port averagely carried more than 1,000 tourists so the total of tourist visit arriving at Benoa Port reached 50,000 tourists in 2014. “Moreover, there are also some tourists arriving using yachts so the total foreign tourist is more than 50,000 people,” he said.
Prior to that, Pelindo III stated vessel visit traffic through the ports it owns in seven provinces reaches 57,958 units or a 5-percent increase than in the similar period in 2013 of 55,385 units. Meanwhile, the realization of vessel visit along January to September 2014 in gross tonnage (GT) unit increases for 8% than in the similar period in 2013 of 210,606,080 GT. (Investor Daily)
