BADUNG, BALINEWS.ID – The Indonesian Association of Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali Chapter is set to host the 2nd ASITA Year End Gathering 2025 on Monday, December 22, 2025, at The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua. The event will also mark the official launch of the ASITA Bali Calendar of Events 2026, serving as a strategic roadmap for organizational activities and future tourism promotion in Bali.

Beyond its core role in the travel industry, ASITA Bali reaffirmed its social commitment through the ASITA Careprogram. The initiative has carried out various humanitarian actions, including distributing aid to flood victims in Jembrana Regency, organizing blood donation drives, and supporting house renovation programs in Karangasem Regency. These efforts reflect ASITA’s commitment to delivering tangible benefits to the Balinese community.

ASITA Bali Chairman I Putu Winastra revealed that ASITA members contributed around 65 percent of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali during 2024–2025, while the remaining 35 percent were handled by online travel agents (OTAs). More than 60 percent of ASITA’s market comes from long-haul and quality markets, such as Europe, the United States, and the Middle East.

“We take care of guests from before they arrive until they return to their home countries. That is our role,” Winastra said.

According to him, these markets cannot be optimally managed by OTAs alone, positioning ASITA as a growth stabilizer and quality controller for Bali’s tourism sector.

Amid ongoing challenges in the tourism industry, Winastra expressed hope that Bali tourism will continue to improve and strengthen its global competitiveness. He also emphasized the crucial role of media and digital content creators in maintaining Bali’s positive image.

“To our friends in social media and mainstream media, if possible, please do not overexpose negative issues about Bali. If Bali is abandoned, we all suffer the consequences,” he stressed.

Winastra outlined ASITA’s six main markets: Australia (surfing, wellness, and family trips), India (supported by direct flights), China, Europe, the Middle East, and ASEAN. ASITA is also preparing emerging markets for 2026, including the United States and Canada, South Korea and Japan, as well as South Africa, which are known as high-value and long-stay markets.

In the same forum, Winastra—who also serves as the Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan for Bali—highlighted several pressing tourism challenges, such as overcrowding in Canggu, Ubud, and Kuta, transportation and traffic congestion issues, and the rise of illegal operators in travel, transportation, guiding, and accommodation sectors. Environmental carrying capacity, uneven human resource quality, and cultural commercialization were also cited as serious concerns.

He further encouraged the establishment of a dedicated Destination Public Relations (PR) body for Bali tourism to address international issues consistently.

“We have suggested to the Governor that Bali should have a dedicated destination PR. This PR would be responsible for responding to tourism-related issues at the international level so that information is clear for foreign tourists,” he said.

ASITA Bali also presented its 2026 strategic recommendations, including destination diversification and visitor redistribution, stronger standardization and legality enforcement, digital transformation and AI-based marketing, development of premium and experiential travel packages, human resource strengthening, and branding Bali as a quality and sustainable destination, rather than a mass tourism hub.

The event is scheduled to be attended by representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bali Provincial Government, regency and city governments across Bali, as well as tourism industry stakeholders, professional associations, airlines, hotels, and other strategic partners. (*)