The Minister of Tourism welcomes the arrival of the first tourists to Bali in 2023

Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, Minister of Tourism, welcomed the first tourist representatives in 2023, a couple from Toronto, Canada, who will be on vacation in Bali for one month. Korean couples were also welcomed, in addition to Canadian couples.

They arrived around 00.00 WITA on a Korean Air plane from Incheon with 273 passengers. Sandiaga was accompanied by Bali's deputy governor, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, also known as Cok Ace, who immediately presented the married couples with flower bouquets.

"It is an honor that the first foreign tourist visit is a couple from Toronto who will be in Indonesia for a month, visiting Bali," Sandiaga said early Sunday (1/1/2023) at the Loading Dock Terminal for International Arrivals at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.

He stated that they would go to several places in Bali. They will then dive before traveling to Yogyakarta and other tourist destinations in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, at the location, the three couples were overjoyed when they were garlanded with flowers and Sandiaga spoke to them. Tourists also appreciate being greeted with a traditional Balinese dance.

Sandiaga expects 7.4 million tourists to visit Indonesia next year. Meanwhile, he put the population of Bali at 4 million. In comparison to last year, the number of tourist arrivals in Bali has surpassed the target of 1.5 million.

"Achieved with 2.2 million astungkara, so the target for tourism and MSMEs has been significantly exceeded, and from the number of jobs it has reached 1.1 million, so the target for the upper limit of job creation is optimistic that 2023 is the year of our awakening because of projects beginning in March 2022," he said.

Meanwhile, the arrival of foreign tourists, according to Bali Deputy Governor Cok Ace, is a good start for Bali tourism in 2023.

"Hopefully, it's a good start, because they'll be in Bali for a month. While we are now one-fifth of the way through the week, we hope to return to our heyday of ten days; hopefully, this is a good start "he explained.