China overtakes Australia as biggest source of foreign tourists to Bali

China has surpassed Australia as being the country supplying the most foreign tourists to Bali, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). 

During January 2017, the amount of Chinese tourists visiting the island went up a whopping 92.32 percent compared with the same time last year, with 147,928 visiting this past January and 76,919 visiting in January 2016, reports Antara Bali.

Chinese tourists accounted for 32.10 percent of the total foreign tourists visiting Bali during January 2017, says BPS Bali head, Adi Nugroho.

“This is the first time China has reached the top of the list of the ten countries supplying the most tourists to Bali, after overtaking Australia, which had always been perched on top,” Nugroho said.

So now, Australia ranks second after China, followed by India.

Added direct flight routes from China to Bali have certainly been a factor in the explosion of Chinese visitors, as well as efforts by the Indonesian tourism department to market Bali towards Chinese travelers, not to mention China’s inclusion in the visa-free countries list for Indonesia.

While the massive amounts of Chinese tourists visiting Bali will certainly help the island meet its ambitious foreign arrivals target, observers fear Bali’s shift from an Aussie dominated market could have negative effects on Bali’s tourism industry.