Who has been spreading rumours that Bali is quiet this year?! Not us here at The Bali Sun, we’ve been reporting on the real situation on the ground, and to us it feels busier than ever.
In fact, the travel data confirms it, and even Governor Koster himself has been checking in on the situation at Bali Airport.
Here’s the deal: there has been a slight decrease in the number of domestic arrivals to Bali this festive season. It’s a debate that low-key hits local headlines most years, as Bali is compared to other destinations nationwide as travel trends ebb and flow. This year, there has been a small dip in the number of domestic tourists traveling for the festive season.
This is due to a number of factors, not least the devastating flooding in Sumatra that has impacted millions of people. Tourism leaders in Bali are becoming concerned that this national dialogue around whether Bali is falling out of style with domestic tourists could have a negative effect on the coming year.
Speaking to reporters, Ketut Susila, a tourism business owner and member of the Indonesian Tour Guide Association (HPI) Bali Domestic Division, called for divisive comparisons to stop.
He shared, “Yogyakarta continues to improve, Lombok is developing rapidly, Labuan Bajo is rising in class, and Raja Ampat is becoming world-renowned. These are achievements worth being proud of, not being compared unhealthily to Bali.”
He added, “They come to Bali as part of the same Indonesia. They should be welcomed with a sense of belonging and shared responsibility for maintaining the national tourism image, not labeled negatively.”
Sulisa concluded, “Indonesia has no shortage of prime destinations. The challenge isn’t competing with each other across regions, but rather how to unite and rise to the global level.”
Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster has also weighed in on the situation. He has also cited the availability of domestic flights as one of the reasons why local tourists are looking to destinations other than Bali.
The Governor told reporters, “Some of the Garuda and Citilink aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance because they are due for maintenance, so their flights to Bali are reduced. As a result, the number of seats on the reduced aircraft is full.”
Citilink, as one of Indonesia’s most in-demand low-cost domestic carriers, currently has 50% of its fleet undergoing maintenance.
While the ever-so slight dip in domestic tourist figures is causing quite the conversation, when it comes to international tourism, Bali is showing no sign of slowing down in terms of its appeal. Governor Koster confirmed that Bali is going to smash international tourism targets for 2025.
He confirmed that between 1st January and 26th December, 6.9 million tourists had visited Bali. Based on current flight ticket sales, it is anticipated that the final tally of international tourist arrivals to Bali in 2025 will be 7.05 million.
Governor Koster refuted speculation that Bali has received fewer international tourists this festive season, noting that the data in question was not connected to actual arrival figures.
He concluded, “This [data] will be related to shopping in Bali, the occupancy rate in Bali, and the length of stay in Bali, which will have a significant impact on existing economic activity. So if you say Bali is quiet, the data shows no; it’s actually bustling.”
With Bali set to welcome another wave of tourist arrivals over the New Year’s holiday and into this coming weekend, tourists are advised to leave plenty of time to travel around the island.
Traffic congestion will be unavoidable at times. Tourists are also advised to keep up to date with the latest weather forecasts and adjust plans accordingly.
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