Hong Kong / Jakarta (CNN) – Destinations around the world have faced a significant drop in tourist arrivals amid the coronavirus pandemic. But few places have been hit harder than Bali, the Indonesian island long beloved by global travelers.
Due to strict border controls and a closed airport, Bali has gone from hosting millions of international arrivals to just 45 by 2021.
Compare that to about 6.2 million international arrivals in 2019 and 1.05 million arrivals in 2020.
Nyoman Gede Gunadika, head of Bali’s tourism department, told CNN: “It’s the lowest number of foreign visitors we’ve ever recorded.
The two-digit number covers the period from January to October 2021 and has been confirmed by the Central Bureau of Statistics of Bali.
To visit Bali, foreign visitors face strict entry requirements related to Covid. They must obtain a business visa that costs $300 (currently no tourist visa), do multiple PCR tests, and purchase special health insurance. In addition, the cost of air tickets is also higher than usual because there are no direct flights.
One hopeful traveler is Justyna Wrucha, a UK citizen planning a trip to Bali with her husband. This will be their first visit to the island, which she says has long been on their bucket list.
“We think the Indonesian and Bali governments are extremely harsh in imposing a 10-day quarantine on people who are fully vaccinated,” Wrucha told CNN.
Bali’s Covid policies regarding foreign visitors are determined by the central government in Jakarta, not by the local government on the island. Initially, the isolation period was shorter but has recently been increased due to concerns about the new variant of Omicron.
Wrucha and her husband will arrive in Jakarta on December 26, quarantine there for 10 days and then fly to Bali if there are no last minute changes or problems. She said they relied on social media, mainly Instagram, for updates rather than official government channels.
“Before Covid, people from Europe and the UK loved Bali,” she added.
Ray Suryawijaya, head of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association in Bali’s Badung District, agrees with Wrucha.
“With all those barriers, it is difficult for us to expect foreign tourists to come to Bali,” he said.
However, there is a small glimmer of hope with the gradual recovery of domestic tourism. Ray reports that the occupancy rate of hotels in Bali is currently around 35%.
He added: “On the weekend, about 13,000 domestic tourists visit Bali.
While the trickle of visitors is an encouraging note later this year, especially for many Bali locals who depend on tourism to support their families, it won’t be enough to come to the rescue. 2021 season.
Bali beach photo by Putu Sayoga / Bloomberg via Getty Images.
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