Gilis-Bali fast boat is cancelled with the bangsal transfer trial. Attempts to reroute tourists crossing from Gilis and Lombok to Bali are a headache for speedboat operators, hotels, and tourists.
Visitors wishing to return to Bali from Lombok’s neighboring Gilis must first travel to Bangsal Harbor by public boat of the Kariya Bahari Cooperative with IDR 20,000. They then take a speedboat or other local sea transportation from Bangsal Port to Bali. Prior to this policy, tourists could travel directly from Gilis to Bali by speedboat.
Due to this process, speedboats are prohibited from picking up guests from Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. However, tourists will still be dropped off directly on the island after leaving Bali.
The policy started on Monday 17 October 2022, and since then North Lombok Governor, Johan Shams, has not commented on the continuation of the rule. Meanwhile, North Lombok Deputy, Regent Danny Carter, told Febrionant that the process was continuing for the time being with an ongoing evaluation.
Also read: Gilis Island Go-To Travel Guide For an Exciting Adventure
“We will be holding meetings with state governments and other stakeholders on this matter in the near future. The process is an experiment, so of course there is a time limit,” he said.
Referring to the results of the evaluation so far, Febrianto acknowledged that there are still some shortcomings associated with public boat services and confusion has been reported.
“We will look at all the positive and negative impacts before making a decision and hopefully be able to fix it in the future,” he said.
According to Wayan Sudana, General Manager of Golden Queen Fast Boat, speedboat passenger numbers have decreased by 30 – 40%. Although it is now the off-season, the decrease in passengers is inseparable from this policy.
“Therefore, we do not agree with this policy and, broadly speaking, I think it is ridiculous and the public should also reject it,” he said.
Passenger numbers are down, so Gilis may not be as busy as it was before the policy was implemented. There are now many protests on social media from tourists who are dissatisfied with politics. Furthermore, the speedboat is not involved in the implementation plan by the North Lombok Government.
“We are the victims, but we are not invited to the negotiations,” Sudana told Radar Lombok by phone on Sunday 23 October. In line with Sudana, Eka Jaya Ketut Sugita, General Manager of PT Bali said, as politics continue, he predicts passenger numbers will continue to decline.
“It will continue to decline as some of the major tour and travel agencies that support us with packages in Bali and Gili Lombok change their guest programs,” he explained.
Lal Kusunawan, chairman of the Gili Hotel Association (GHA), also confirmed that hotel occupancy rates are declining.
North Lombok Provincial People’s Assembly Deputy Speaker, Burhan M. Nur, said local governments need to be careful when making decisions so as not to cause harm. Tourist visits are expected to increase from October to November-December.
“We are concerned that tourists will feel uncomfortable and be drawn elsewhere. Now West Lombok and Central Lombok will be completely cleaned up. Likewise, East Nusa Tenggara currently has many investors there,” he concludes.
