/GettyImages-1182582128/Guess-which-tourists-are-swinging-back-into-Bali%3f.jpg?tr=w-780%2Ch-440%2Cfo-auto)
More surfers out in the waves, more tour groups snapping sunset selfies on Kuta Beach, more tables occupied at cafes and restaurants and more traffic on the roads: signs of Bali’s inbound tourism revival are palpable.
After months of gradually relaxing international arrival regulations — including the removal of quarantine — the visa on arrival (VoA) was reintroduced in early March, which many saw as the true restart of the Indonesian island’s inbound travel sector.
Almost 15,000 foreign tourists — mostly from Russia, Australia, Singapore, the United States, France and the United Kingdom — arrived by air during February and March, with a significant jump recorded after the return of the VoA. This figure is expected to grow with the recent reintroduction of the visa-free visit for ASEAN nationals.
Meanwhile, digital travel platform Agoda has seen a surge in searches for Bali among neighbouring markets. The island ranked as the top search destination in Indonesia at the beginning of April, while the entire country ranked third as a destination in Asia, after Thailand and the Philippines.
Despite the strong start, members of Bali’s tourism industry aren’t quite ready to celebrate, and admit there is a long road ahead — but they are optimistic.
“We surely do have a positive feeling about this,” said Simon Purwa, chair of the Bali chapter of ASTINDO (Indonesian Travel Agents Association). “The arrivals so far aren’t purely leisure traffic; we noticed most are still visitors that have business and/or family ties to Bali. But moving towards the summer and mid-year holiday season we expect more growth in leisure visitors.”
Part of the Hyatt Group, Andaz Bali, which opened last year on Sanur’s beachfront and is the first Andaz resort in Asia, has seen a small uptick in international guests since the return of the VoA.
Major international events on Bali’s calendar later in the year — in particular the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua in November — are also keeping spirits raised.
“The success of the event will impact travellers’ confidence in visiting the island,” said Andaz Bali’s interim general manager, Agus Virgianto. “We expect a surge in MICE and transient leisure in 2023 and 2024.”
It is still too early to tell how long it will take for Bali’s international arrival numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels, said Purwa. “Some factors still play a big role, such as whether the government changes the status of the pandemic to endemic in the near future.” (Bali’s governor recently noted that the island’s continuously decreasing caseload suggests it has entered the endemic phase).
“We need to pass the early stages of this reopening and go through summer and year end,” Purwa continued. “Once all seems to be on track, then we might see summer 2024 return to BC (before Covid) conditions.”