The Bali Maritime Tourism Hub or BMTH development project is expected to become a tourism ecosystem area specialized in entertainment and world-class music festivals.
Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Indonesia , Erick Thohir, hopes that this area can become a new icon of Indonesian maritime tourism and even the world.
“As an archipelago, we should be able to become a world-class maritime icon that integrates tourism and entertainment. Hopefully, big events such as Tomorrowland, Summer Sonic and other world-class events can be presented in this BMTH area,” he told KumparanNews.
With the support and neat cooperation between the Ministry of SOEs and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Erick believes BMTH can become an icon of Indonesian maritime tourism that offers international-scale entertainment.
International music events are proven to attract foreign tourists. Recently, Thailand has reportedly signed an agreement to host two prestigious international music festivals.
Interestingly, Thailand will be the first ASEAN country to host the world’s most popular EDM festival. The festival itself is famous for being attended by some of the biggest EDM, house, and techno artists from around the world.
In addition, Erick also appreciated the synergy between The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy involved in the BMTH project.
Moreover, during its construction, this project has absorbed around 1,900 local workers for its construction. Erick hopes BMTH can also encourage local economic growth and create new jobs for people around the Benoa area.
Targeting 1.5 times more foreign tourist arrivals
Not only does the government hope that BMTH will become an international event venue, it also believes that this area can be an attraction for foreign tourists.
Erick believes that BMTH can increase foreign tourist arrivals at Benoa Port up to 1.5 times.
He said that the initial ecosystem development at BMTH is targeted to be completed between September and October 2024. But, if the government want the BMTH Port to be as magnificent as country abroad, the overall BMTH construction will be completed in 2027.