JAKARTA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- In a bid to further attract Chinese tourists, Indonesia's Bali provincial government to initiate Bali-China Festival themed closeness of Balinese and Chinese cultures, Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati said on Thursday.
"The festival would be the first ever held here. We want to further glue relations between Bali and China through cultural approach," Tjokorda said on the sidelines of a coordination meeting in Bali capital of Denpasar to discuss the event to be held in Lake Batur.
Head of Bali Tourism Board (BTB) Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana said the festival would be part of tourism attractions of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali.
Bagus said Bali has many folklore legends that highlight close relations between Bali and China in the past.
"Should we be able to stage those legends, such as a romance story between Bali king and Chinese princess, it may further attract Chinese tourists to visit Bali," Bagus said.
He added that location of the festival is highly favorable to facilitate the inaugural festival, saying that the Jati Shrine built in the lake has long been known as manifestation of Bali and China cultural acculturation.
Bali has seen a decreasing visit of Chinese tourists in the last few months of 2018. According to the Bali provincial statistics office, Chinese tourist arrivals in Bali stood at 73,822 in November last year, down from 118,130 in October.
