Jakarta. India is open to helping Indonesia build “new Balis”, according to its envoy, as the Southeast Asian country doesn’t want its foreign tourists to be heavily concentrated on the island.

The offer came after both countries launched a joint conservation project for the Prambanan — the UNESCO-listed Hindu temple in Yogyakarta — during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit earlier this month.

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty revealed that New Delhi was aware of Indonesia’s plans to replicate Bali’s success across the archipelago. As the Prambanan revamp marks a new chapter in ties, Chakravorty said that there was also room for both countries to work on tourism.

“Indonesia has this policy of creating ten Balis. The province is getting a lot of stress from tourism, so the idea is to reduce the stress by creating new destinations,” Chakravorty told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

“India can play a big role in opening up new destinations in Indonesia,” he said, citing how Indians feel “very comfortable” traveling in the country.

He also finds that connectivity remains a “challenge” despite the relatively short distance between the two countries. The envoy hopes that India will come up first in any drop-down menus related to traveling in Indonesia, and vice versa, as such things will make it more convenient for the tourists. 

“If people travel to each other's countries, it will open up opportunities and minds,” Chakravorty said.

Indonesia began exploring the "10 new Balis" plan during Former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first term in 2016. In the Covid-hit 2021, the government halved the priority destinations, narrowing them to just Borobudur, Likupang, Mandalika, Toba Lake, and Labuan Bajo. While not included in the New Bali project, the Prambanan Temple holds immense potential for religious tourism. 

The centuries-old Prambanan is the largest temple compound dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva in Indonesia. There are approximately 1.2 billion Hindus worldwide. During his trip to Prambanan, Modi, too, believes that the conservation project can do wonders for tourism.

"I can assure you that after our joint efforts at the renovation, the number of tourists and devotees from India will grow exponentially in the years to come," Modi said at the time.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data shows that nearly 5.7% of the international tourists visiting Indonesia in May alone were Indian passport holders. The country saw around 1.4 million foreign tourist arrivals that month. State-owned tourism holding InJourney reported that the Prambanan amassed almost 4,000 Indian tourists annually.