New photographs taken by an Australian traveler show a heartbreaking sight in Bali.
Although more tourists are returning to the party island since international travel resumed and businesses are reopening, things are still not the same in the famous tourist center of Kuta as they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.
But despite this, there are still parts of the tourist area that remain a ghost town, with some of the pubs, shops and restaurants that were once major tourist attractions still closed.
This can be seen in the pictures of the once popular houses in and around Kuta, which now appears to be an abandoned, boarded up and overgrown place.
Traveler Kat Willeme told news.com.au that on a recent visit she had gone for a morning walk to see the area and was surprised by what she found.
“What a heartbreaking sight to see things get so bad and all the businesses around close down,” said Kat.
“The area used to be so lively and was the main thoroughfare between 1 and 2 Poppies Lane. Now we understand why both are struggling to recover.”
However, he said it is crucial that tourists keep coming back to support Bali as they “need our help”.
He explained that most of his friends have businesses in the area that were still struggling to recover, unlike other parts of Bali that were thriving. She hopes to raise awareness of what is really happening in Kuta, hoping to bring life back to the area.
“It’s not like that everywhere,” he said.
Kat also posted the pictures on a Facebook travel group and was inundated with comments, many reminiscing about the past and devastated to see the state of the building now.
One commenter said: “So sad – this was a great place.”
Another said: “This is a shame. We are very lucky in this country. Good buildings go to waste, only increased tourism can remedy this. Please help by visiting Bali.”
And a third wrote: “Yes, it’s so sad! We were there recently and it was a sight to behold. I just want it to go back to the way it was before.”
Another commenter shared some fond memories: “It’s so sad. We’ve been there since they opened and they were like family… It’s the worst to see it all covered up.”
Others noted that with the boards removed and some weeding and general maintenance done, the building would look much better.
Closed for business
Kat also shared other images from the streets of Kuta showing closed businesses. They include places like Matahari Mall in Kuta Square and other shops that were previously occupied nearby.
He said there were still many closed shops along the once bustling 1 Poppies Lane.
Meanwhile, most shops are open for business along 2 Poppies Lane, but due to the closure of some local hotels, Kat said she noticed “there’s a lack of foot traffic coming down there”.
He also said that popular businesses such as Tubes and Bagus Pub are closed, along with the famous Bounty Hotel, which Kat said was “still all closed and looking a bit shabby”.
But there is hope that things will gradually improve.
A local told him that the Bounty was hoping to reopen in September after doing some renovations.
“You can see them doing work and repairs everywhere you go and more shops and hotels are reopening every day,” said Kat.
Tourist reactivation
The Covid-19 pandemic caused international travelers to disappear from the island nation, leaving 400,000 Balinese out of work.
In April this year, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno called on Australians to return as the nation “misses us”.
“We want you back,” he said 9 News.
“We are seeing demand, very healthy demand from Australia in particular. Bali is already open.”