Bill Gates has announced that he might soon visit Bali, a province of Indonesia. Leaders in the provincial government believe that a visit from the co-founder of Microsoft could help the island’s ailing tourist industry, which suffered severe damage from the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the past several years, Gates has established himself as a philanthropist interested in preventing human suffering.
The Bali Tourism Board has expressed that the province is prepared for an influx of tourists.
Tjok Bagus Pemayun, the acting head of the Bali Tourism Board, stated that the island’s leaders are grateful when international visitors set up events there. He also suggested that events are welcome because they bring many visitors who might shop in the province.
Tjok noted that visitors are only welcome if they follow health regulations.
Luhut Pandjaitan, Bali’s Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, said that over twenty charitable organizations might be involved in the upcoming climate summit. The possible summit would focus primarily on climate change while also addressing Bali’s waste management.
Luhut also said that several foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are in contact with President Joko Widodo about the prospective summit.
This year’s G-20 summit, which will focus on using international policy to solve global problems, is already set to happen in Bali.
It’s unclear whether summits will help the island’s tourism problem. In Oct. 2021, the province loosened the entry restrictions that had kept tourists out during the worst of the pandemic.
Bali is open for tourism but unfortunately, travelers haven’t yet taken advantage of the loosened restrictions. No commercial international flights have arrived in Bali since October.
Visitors must provide proof of vaccination, undergo 7-day quarantine, and show negative COVID-19 test results to enter Bali. They must also prove that they have health insurance.
Perhaps because of Bali’s lack of tourists, its COVID-19 case rates and death rates have stayed extremely low since early October.