Of course, you already know that in recent years, more and more Russian tourists have been visiting Bali. Sometimes, they also settle down and live in Bali. Well, the Canggu area is one of the areas where there are many tourists from Russia.
Recently, the area of Canggu, Bali, went viral on social media because its name became New Moscow on Google’s Maps.
On Google Maps, the area is written as “New Москва”. It is not known who changed the writing.
But if you look at Google Maps and Google Earth directly, you will see that the territorial map of Badung Regency does not have a New Moscow label.
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The Bali police statement to Kompas.com suggests that the image circulating was made by a prankster. However, the New Moscow statement provoked discussion on social media. Many Indonesian netizens objected and felt that Bali was controlled by foreigners.
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno also responded to the image of the ‘New Moscow’ map on an online map of the Canggu area, which went viral on social media.
Sandiaga said this needs to be explored again to ensure it does not pose a threat or violate legal norms or regulations in Indonesia. Instead, he said, it should be used as an opportunity for the tourism industry.
“I think it is an opportunity, and we have to make sure they do not pose a threat and do not violate the norms of legal and regulatory aspects,” he said after leading a meeting with Bali Tourism stakeholders in Nusa Dua, Bali, to CNN Indonesia.
Sandi sees that the phenomenon of naming names also occurs in several regions of the world. He gave an example of something that became known as Little India, Little Tokyo, or Chinatown.
“This is a phenomenon that we always see in the development of an area and the management of urban development. In Jakarta, there is also Koreatown and so on, and we must respond to this wisely and carefully,” Sandi said.
Support the Russian Consulate General in Bali
On the same occasion, Sandiaga also welcomed the presence of the Russian Consulate General in Bali to accommodate various issues that developed regarding his citizens on the Island of the Gods. He said Russia was one of the countries whose citizens traveled a lot in Bali.
“We strongly support if there is a Russian Consulate General in Denpasar to accommodate various developing issues even though the number of Russian tourists is not among the top three (most tourists to Bali),” he said.
