Following Indonesia’s announcement to re-open its borders to international travelers, digital travel platform Agoda has seen a surge in searches for Bali from neighbouring markets keen to return to one of the region’s most popular beach destinations. bali tourism

Bali ranked the top search destination in Indonesia, while the entire country ranked third as a destination in Asia, following closely behind Thailand and Philippines. Agoda’s data also shows searches from Bali’s top five international origins markets, namely Australia, United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, and South Korea respectively, with the highest search increase from Australia (220%) and Singapore (200%).

“Pristine beaches and the unique culture and charm of Bali are undoubtedly luring travelers back. Whether visitors are a half-day flight away or just a couple hours to the island, many still consider Bali as a paradise vacation destination and look to get back there as soon as they are able to”., said Gede Gunawan, Senior Country Director, Indonesia.

A look at Agoda’s searches since Indonesia’s reopening provides an interesting glimpse into the preferences of international travelers. Representative of the diverse experiences offered in the Island of Gods, travellers rated a mix of lively, popular spots of Kuta (#1) and Seminyak (#3) interspersed with the quiet lush greenery of Ubud (#2) and the more luxurious watersport haven of Nusa Dua (#4) emerging as their top spots searched to stay.

Under the new border and quarantine guideline (updated on 6 April 2022), fully vaccinated travelers can now enjoy quarantine-free travel to Indonesia. Guests will need to present a negative PCR test result within 48 hours prior to departure, and then are free to roam, explore and travel to other parts of the Indonesia with no need for additional tests. All foreign visitors will need to present proof of health insurance, which includes coverage of COVID-19 medical treatments.

In an effort to further bolster the country’s reopening, 43 countries have been granted Visa on Arrival (VOA), including 15 countries in the APAC region.

“The introduction of quarantine-free, test only border openings and the introductions of Visa on Arrival for additional countries is a great initiative that aims to help bring tourists back to Bali and Indonesia. Our data shows that Bali remains an inspiring destination for many looking for that combination of beach, culture and beautiful scenery. At Agoda, we will strive to be a supportive partner to the communities we operate in and continue to work with local authorities to help provide a simplified and hassle-free experience for our customers across their booking journey,” added Gunawan.

In 2021, only 51 foreign tourists visited Bali. This was the lowest number of visitors since decades. The drop in foreign tourists was caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which had essentially paralyzed the tourism sector in Bali.

Tourism as the main economic driver in Bali

Tourism is Bali’s main economic driver, and Bali is the center of Indonesia’s tourism industry. Its economy is predominantly service based, especially those geared towards tourism and hospitality. In 2019, Bali accounted for just under a fifth of Indonesia’s accommodation rooms in the entire country, Statista reports. The heavy reliance on international tourism had worked up till 2019, when foreign tourist arrivals to Bali grew year-on-year.

Impact of COVID-19 on tourism in Bali

Global travel restrictions due to the pandemic meant that the number of foreign arrivals to Bali all but stopped. Bali’s biggest foreign tourism feeder market, Australia, had imposed a ban on overseas travel. In March 2020, Bali closed itself to both domestic and foreign visitors. Plans to open the island to international visitors have been pushed back due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. To throw the ailing Balinese economy a lifeline, however, the island has been re-opened to domestic tourists and foreigners already in the country.

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