Denpasar. Bali's Acting Governor  SM Mahendra Jaya hosted a meeting with Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Marc Gerritsen in Denpasar on Tuesday to discuss potential collaboration on preserving the Balinese culture.

The Governor appreciated the Netherlands' efforts in preserving Bali's cultural heritage, including the country's valuable contribution to the Bali Museum, which houses many artifacts. Mahendra expressed hope that the ambassador could support the renovation of the museum.

“The Bali Museum with thousands of Balinese artifacts was established when the Dutch were still here We are currently renovating the museum's storage area. Therefore, Your Excellency is welcome to visit, and perhaps you can assist in developing our storage facilities,” he said.

According to Mahendra, Dutch tourists are among the top 10 visitors to Bali. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of diversifying Bali’s revenue sources other than tourism, such as agriculture and handicrafts.

“Our population is only 4.9 million, yet Bali receives around 20 million visitors each year. We see agriculture as a vital sector that needs to be developed, especially with the rising trend of organic economic practices that are highly favored by many tourists,” he explained.

The governor also sought cooperation in education, particularly in providing scholarships for students from Bali.

Gerritsen responded positively, acknowledging the strong historical ties and promising to discuss the collaboration proposals further with his economic team in Jakarta.

“Based on this data, we can assure the quality of Bali's human resources. I hope more young people from Bali can receive scholarship opportunities to study in the Netherlands,” the envoy said.

During the discussion, Gerritsen inquired about Bali's plan for the use of renewable energy. The Governor responded that Bali is very ambitious in transitioning to alternative energy, aiming to achieve this faster than the national target, specifically by 2045. By that year, Bali plans to shift energy sources from fossil fuels to alternatives like solar energy.

“While the national net-zero target has been set for 2060, we in Bali are confident to reach it by 2045. This is evidenced by various incentives for people wanting to use electric vehicles,” he said.