According to the deputy governor, the discovery of new
COVID-19 variants in Bali has not deterred officials from their goal of
reopening to international visitors in July.
"We have yet to shift the target; there's still a
few months to go," Bali deputy governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana
Sukawati, or Cok Ace, said.
"A few days ago, I was with [Health Minister Budi
Gunadi Sadikin], and we are still holding on to our focus for [reopening in]
July."
In March, Indonesian officials unveiled plans for a
travel corridor network that could see international visitors visiting Bali by
the middle of this year, with President Joko Widodo insisting that the COVID-19
pandemic must be contained for that to happen.
According to Tourism and Creative Economic Minister
Sandiaga Uno, the planned "travel corridor arrangement" will be given
to countries that can control the spread of the coronavirus, have high
vaccination rates, and provide mutual benefits.
Cok Ace reported that Indonesia is rethinking the
countries in which it will collaborate now that India and Singapore are dealing
with new coronavirus outbreaks.
"We can still hope for China, in terms of
quantity, as they contributed quite a large [amount of visitors] in previous
years," he added.
With nearly 1.2 million Chinese visitors in 2019, they
were the second-largest group of international tourists visiting Bali, behind
only Australians, despite having occupied the top spot for many years prior.