Mo’ Booze, Mo’ Money: Bali tourism official

Scenes from a beach in Seminyak (left) and another in Sanur (right). Screengrabs: Instagram
Scenes from a beach in Seminyak (left) and another in Sanur (right). Screengrabs: Instagram

Since Bali has gradually reopened to international tourists in recent months and with more and more direct flights flying in and out of the island, it is safe to say that the tourism industry is on the mend. An official has confirmed one of the key indicators for this: alcoholic beverage sales.

The Bali Customs Office reported yesterday that the sales of alcoholic beverages had reached IDR753.24 billion (US$52.4 million) as of March 29, up 24.84 percent year-on-year. In 2021, IDR604.14 billion (US$42 million) in alcoholic beverage sales was recorded.

“The increase of tax income from alcohol sales shows an increase of alcohol consumption amongst tourists in Bali. This is one of the indicators that the economy and tourism in Bali is starting to recover,” said Susila Brata, the head of the customs office overseeing Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, 15,000 travelers have arrived in Bali in 2022 so far using visas on arrival (VOA), mostly from Australia, Singapore, the US, France, and the UK. There are currently only 42 nationalities eligible for VOA entry.

One Australian publication has made the claim that the arrival of tourists from down under in particular have been helping revive Bali’s economy.



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