JAKARTA (indo.com): The Bali administration will make joint efforts with other countries to develop and promote tourism by establishing sister provinces.

The sister province cooperation is expected to attract more visitors to the respective countries, said Ida Bagus Adnyana Manuaba, a professor at the University of Udayana, in Denpasar, Bali recently.

The professor made the remarks after accompanying the governor of Bali on a visit to Cheju, South Korea, from October 14 to 19, 2001. The governor discussed the cooperation with his counterparts from the four sister provinces.

He said that as part of the cooperation program, the four sister provinces intend to increase the development of water sports as tourism attractions, MWEB-Travel reported.

Ida Bagus has joined the annual meeting for the last three years, in Bali in 1999, Hainan, China in 2000 and Cheju in 2001. In this year's meeting, Ida Bagus talked about breakthrough efforts by the province of Bali to develop the tourism sector, especially watersports. Bali has developed a variety of water tourism attractions, including surfing, jet-skiing, parasailing and diving, all of which have been very popular with visitors.

Bali is well known for its culture and beautiful scenery, but the island also has plenty more to offer in its surrounding seas. The swells rolling in from the Indian Ocean provide some of the world's finest surfing breaks, whereas the more peaceful seas off other parts of the island teem with beautiful coral reefs and amazing various tropical fish.

Ida Bagus said that the water tourism potentials needed further development in terms of definition and location. The local administration has started to regulate water tourism development to prevent overcrowding.