The Vice Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Artha Ardhana Sukawati (a.k.a Cok Ace) was in Ubud to officially reopen the Ubud Monkey Forest and was shocked by the state of town.
The Vice Governor was met with empty streets, closed shops, empty restaurants and the hum of Balinese music is gone.
The reopening of the Ubud Monkey Forest is the government’s first step at trying to revive the economy.
Ubud’s Monkey Forest is one of the top tourist attractions in Bali and Cok Ace hopes that reopening the park will help other businesses start opening their doors.
The park officially reopened for tourists on November 5th. Last week Cok Ace pleaded with local businesses to start reopening their businesses so that tourists know Ubud is once again open for tourism.
“Most of the accomodations in Ubud are closed so it has caused domestic tourists to stay elsewhere on the island. It obviously makes things worse in Ubud that it still appears mostly closed” Cok Ace said
(Image: ©The Bali Sun – I Wayan Yatika)
“It’s really sad to see the the empty roads, all shops were closed and no music from the restaurants. I hope this will be the beginning of people’s financial recovery” Cok Ace said in an interview with Tribune.
Cok Ace admitted that according to the data, the number of Covid-19 cases in Bali is still going up and down, but he said the reopening should move forward because the recovery rate in Bali is one of the highest in Indonesia.
He believes that Bali achieved that result due to the people’s obedience on following health and safety protocols.
Ace said he is optimistic that Bali is still the one of the top destinations in the world, especially among the domestic tourists.
“It was proven during the holiday season last week when people came to Bali with huge numbers. We’ve already gained their trust” Cok Ace concluded.
(Image: ©The Bali Sun – I Wayan Yatika)
The General Manager of Ubud Monkey Forest, I Nyoman Sutarjana said many businesses in the local community are dependent on the Ubud Monkey Forest.
Local art shops, transportation, restaurants and accommodations depend on the Monkey Forest for tourism business.
The reopening has been supported by Padangtegal Village, Gianyar Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association and the Ubud Tourism Building Foundation.
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