Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir directly inspected the progress of the development of the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub (BMTH), which is currently still ongoing.
During his visit, Thohir encouraged PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) as a development agent to immediately complete the development of BMTH by September 2024. He also said that, with this completion, BMTH would be able to create a tourism ecosystem in Bali as well as the potential to produce a multiplier effect that contributes to Bali’s Regional Gross Domestic Product (GRDP) by up to 2.7 times.
“The increase in foreign tourist arrivals at Benoa Harbour will be 1.5 times and domestic tourists up to 2 times,” Thohir told the press.
According to Thohir, BMTH has become an attraction for foreign tourists through its cruises which has been proven throughout the year 2023. By the end of the previous year, as many as 48 cruises have successfully docked at Benoa Harbour with a total passenger flow reaching 77 thousand people.
“This has good potential. This year, with various capacity additions at BMTH, we are sure that the number will increase,” Thohir added.
In addition, Pelindo’s Main Director, Arif Suhartono, explained that BMTH, during its work on this project, has employed around 1,900 local workers. BMTH is also expected to encourage local economic growth as well as new job opportunities for people around the Benoa area.
“Currently, the progress of the BMTH construction has reached 93 percent. This shows the commitment and hard work of all parties involved in this project. And, in accordance with the direction of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, it will soon be completed in September 2024,” Suhartono concluded.
Bali Maritime Tourism Hub or BMTH is a national strategic project launched by PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) to develop Benoa Harbour in Bali, aimed at becoming a leading maritime tourism area. This port area is designed to accommodate up to 400 yachts and five cruise ships. On top of that, BMTH is further designed to become a gateway for travelling around Eastern Indonesia which also includes areas or islands such as Labuan Bajo and Raja Ampat.