This week, Bali breathed a sigh of relief
as numbers confirmed a 1000% rise in international visitors in the first
quarter of 2022. The 1000% surge occurred between February and March 2022, when
Bali formally reopened its borders.
Arrivals increased again over the Eid
Al-Fitr weekend, however this time it was primarily domestic tourists. Bali is
ready for another surge of visitors over the European summer holidays and
Australia's long winter break in June and July.
The reopening of borders is
responsible for the 1000% rise in tourist numbers from February to March 2022.
Since then, compulsory quarantine has been removed, and the Indonesian
government has announced that the pre-arrival PCR test for vaccinated
international immigrants is no longer required.
This announcement was welcomed by the
Bali tourism industry, which considered the PCR testing mandate a significant
hurdle for potential visitors.
The 1000 % rise in international travelers
was primarily made up of persons traveling from Australia, the United Kingdom,
Singapore, the United States, and France. These countries are also included in
Indonesia's visa-on-arrival scheme. Early in May, the visa-on-arrival program
was expanded to allow visitors from 60 countries to enter Indonesia. The
visa-on-arrival option was only available to tourists from 17 countries when
borders reopened in February.
Bali is guaranteeing that the tourism
industry recovers quickly. The Indonesian government, in collaboration with the
United Nations, will host the 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
from May 23 to May 28. Over 2000 troops have been sent to Bali to guarantee the
event's seamless operation as the island welcomes over 4000 international
delegates.
In June, Bali will hold the 8th Bali
and Beyond Travel Fair, a massive convention organized by the island's tourism
industry. The event allows Bali's travel and tour operators to showcase the
island, Bali culture, and the island's distinctive visitor encounters.
These two conferences are excellent
warm-up events for the G20 Summit in Bali in November. Presidents and prime
ministers from the world's 20 largest countries will gather in Bali for a
two-day international conference to consider the union's future. This program
will bring Bali to the attention of millions of people, and the tourism
industry is well aware of the importance of success.
Successful events like these also
persuade governments all over the world to include Indonesia on their Covid-19
'Safe to Visit' lists, which means visitors do not need to take a PCR test to
return home or to quarantine.
Large international events attract
massive numbers of business travelers, resulting in enormous revenue. What Bali
most looks forward to is the return of the 'ordinary' visitor, whose vacation
budgets account for the great majority of Bali's tourism revenue.
Over the Eid Al-Fitr weekend, hotel
occupancy reached 60%, the highest level since the virus. Though hotel
reservations have fallen slightly since then, internet searches for Bali hotels
have skyrocketed in recent weeks.
Menparekraf Sandiaga, Minister of
Tourism and Creative Economies issued a statement confirming Bali Airport's
strong growth in international arrivals. The department expressed its pride in
working with foreign airlines to arrange the increased flight schedules to Bali
and Indonesia in general.
Sandiaga went on to explain how the
Tourism and Creative Economies are trying to raise global awareness of
Indonesian tourism by providing 'holistic' knowledge of everything the archipelago
has to offer.
Sandiaga hopes that the loosening of
Covid-19 limitations will continue to benefit Bali tourism. Following
Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand as the most popular places to visit in South
East Asia during the outbreak era, Indonesia is eager to see the number of
international tourists keep rising.