After 2.5 years of no cruise ships coming in due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bali finally has its first cruise ship. The MV.Le Laperouse cruise ship docked at Benoa Harbor on Monday (19/9/2022) carrying 127 foreign passengers who will travel to Bali for two days.
This cruise ship is planned to dock for two days and one night, and after that, it will continue its journey to Probolinggo, East Java.
Before docking at Benoa harbor, this cruise ship first docked at Loh Liang, Komodo.
In addition to foreign tourists, this ship also carries 131 crew who will also travel to Bali. In addition, this ship’s activity while leaning in Bali, namely turning around, unloading garbage, and supplying necessities for the next trip.
Head of Regional 3 Pelindo, Ardhy Wahyu Basuki, explained that the entry of the first cruise ship to Bali will have a positive impact on Bali tourism which is in the recovery stage.
“We at Pelindo are the connectors or facilitators for the entry of cruise ships. They stay for one night will certainly have a positive impact on Bali, the ships carry out activities, as well as foreign tourists who already have a two-day tour program,” explained Ardhy in Benoa, Monday (19/19/2011). 9/2022).
Bali became one of the favorite destinations for cruise ships in Indonesia before the cruise ship pandemic reached 90 ships per year. Both large cruise ships carry thousands of passengers, as well as small cruise ships with a capacity of hundreds of passengers.
During the pandemic, almost no foreign tourists enter using cruise ships. Since the post-pandemic recovery in early 2022, the majority of foreign tourists who come to Bali enter by air. Throughout September 2022, the number of international passengers from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport reached 305,447 people.
Furthermore, in 2023, Lombok will be visited by many cruise ships. PT. Pelindo III Sheet Branch said as many as 15 cruise ships had registered to dock at Gili Mas Port, Lembar, West Lombok.
“In 2023, there have also been many cruise ships registered. There have been 15 ships registered. Now the list has gone online,” said the General Manager of PT. Pelindo III Sheet Branch, Baharuddin quoted Saturday (17/9/2022).
Baharuddin said there is one giant cruise ship that will dock around March or April 2023. The cruise ship is 330 meters long and carries as many as 5,000 foreign tourists.
In terms of facilities at Gili Mas Harbor, said Baharuddin, he has met the requirements for berthing large cruise ships. However, he will coordinate with the Tourism Office and the NTB Transportation Service regarding the pattern of operations at the two ports in Lembar.
