BALINEWSID.COM, GIANYAR — The Bali chapter of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA Bali) is seeking to strengthen cooperation with the Gianyar Regency Government to develop and promote the region’s tourism potential.

The planned collaboration was discussed during a meeting between the ASITA Bali board and Gianyar Regional Secretary I Gusti Bagus Adi Widya Utama on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

The meeting focused on Gianyar’s tourism destinations and potential areas of cooperation between the local government and travel industry stakeholders.

Adi Widya Utama welcomed the meeting and said communication and collaboration between the local government and tourism industry players needed to be strengthened to ensure the sustainable development of the sector.

“We hope this meeting will not be the last. ASITA Bali has provided many valuable inputs regarding the sustainability of our tourism sector. Of course, we cannot move forward separately,” said Adi Widya Utama, who is also known as Gus Bem.

He said the Gianyar Regency Government hoped cooperation with ASITA Bali would go beyond communication and be formalized through an agreement.

According to Adi Widya Utama, the local government plans to follow up on the preparation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ASITA Bali. The cooperation is expected to strengthen coordination in tourism development, particularly in supporting sustainable, culture-based and quality tourism in Gianyar.

“What we hope for going forward is to maintain continuous communication. We will also soon establish an MoU between the Gianyar Regency Government and ASITA Bali and follow it up so that the local government’s tourism programs can be carried out continuously in cooperation with ASITA Bali,” he said.

Meanwhile, ASITA Bali Chairman I Putu Winastra said the meeting had produced several important points, particularly regarding the significant tourism potential in Gianyar.

Winastra said the potential could be further developed and promoted as part of efforts to strengthen Gianyar’s position as a quality tourism destination.

One of the ideas discussed was to strengthen cooperation between the Gianyar Regency Government and ASITA Bali through the association’s member network to expand the promotion of tourism destinations across Gianyar.

“Gianyar Regency has tremendous tourism potential. One of the ideas proposed by the regional secretary was to collaborate with ASITA Bali through its members to promote Gianyar more extensively as a quality tourism destination,” Winastra said.

He added that the local government had also expressed its readiness to support tourism development, including destination promotion and efforts to improve the quality of tourism products.

ASITA Bali welcomed the commitment and said further discussions would be held at a more technical level.

“The most important thing is the commitment of the Gianyar Regency Government to promptly establish an MoU with ASITA Bali. We hope this cooperation can make a significant contribution to Gianyar Regency,” Winastra said.

He added that support from local governments was important in strengthening ASITA Bali’s role as an organization representing travel agencies and tourism businesses.

The planned MoU with the Gianyar Regency Government is part of ASITA Bali’s efforts to expand cooperation with local governments across Bali. The initiative is also being pursued alongside preparations for the 15th ASITA Bali Regional Conference, scheduled for October 2026.

Through the planned cooperation, ASITA Bali and the Gianyar Regency Government aim to strengthen destination promotion while supporting the development of sustainable and quality tourism in Gianyar.