Canggu’s Atlas Beach Fest launched on Monday July 18th, and immediately officials there are looking into whether or not the new establishment has the necessary permits and licenses to legally operate.
The return to Bali’s pre-pandemic way of life is something everyone is looking forward to. Businesses are getting ready to open in a hurry to capitalize on the increased foreign flights, visa on arrivals (VOA), and traffic congestion.
According to official statistics, what was once a surfers’ paradise with just a handful of hotels in the 1960s is today a sometimes gridlocked resort with approximately 4,300 hotels. And every one of them comes complete with its own bar or beach club.
And they’re all fighting to get you into their doors, even if that means cutting corners.
The venue, which markets itself as Bali’s top attraction, is reportedly affiliated with the Indonesian restaurant bar chain Holywings, which has had all of its bars in Jakarta and Surabaya shut down after the arrest of six of its workers for an ad campaign deemed to be insulting to religion.
The club’s owner, Hotman Paris, is a well-known lawyer who considered changing the club’s name at the last minute to Holywings Beach Fest but ultimately decided against it.
Local media were informed by Dewa Nyoman Rai, Secretary of Sekretariat DPRD Provinsi Bali, that the investigation involves more than just Atlas Beach Fest, and assures this is not a personal attack and that every business is checked to see if they had permits before opening their doors.
At the Atlas Beach Fest press conference, key players, including owner Hotman Paris addressed questions from reporters. When questioned regarding the legitimacy of his company’s licenses, permits, and business operations, Hotman Paris maintained that everything was done legally.
And that they had obtained all necessary licenses and permissions and complied with all regulations before opening.
But Dewa Nyoman Ra informed reporters from local newspapers that the data he’s been shown proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Atlas Beach Fest opened for business without first obtaining the necessary licenses.
He went through the club’s need for 26 separate licenses to operate lawfully in its many facets, such as food and drink sales, event hosting, employee hiring, subleasing, and more.
The district government is no longer in charge of issuing the 26 different categories of permits. Although this adjustment is not suspected to be the cause of Atlas Beach Fests lacking permits.
meanwhile, the club has not closed its doors in light of the ongoing investigation.
The Atlas Beach Fest claims to be Bali’s largest lifestyle center, with over a thousand staff and enough room to host 10,000 guests each and every day. The club is said to have the largest poolside in Southeast Asia and the longest bar in Asia.
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