Russians no longer amongst the top 5 nationalities arriving in Bali

File photo of a surfer in Bali. Photo: Pixabay
File photo of a surfer in Bali. Photo: Pixabay

It seems like the honeymoon phase between Russia and Bali has begun to cool off as the country’s citizens slip out of the top 5 list of visitors to the Island of Gods. 

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Russian citizens were among the top 3 nationalities of foreigners coming to the island from January to February of this year. However, in March, the top 5 were citizens from Australia, India, Singapore, U.K., and the U.S.

The number of Australians that arrived in Bali in March was 89,783, or an increase of 13.51 percent in comparison to the previous month.

Russia, on the other hand, was placed second behind Australia in January with 22,104 tourists arriving in Bali. The number declined to 17,338 people in February but Russia still placed 3rd, according to BPS.

The Head of the Bali office of BPS, Endang Retno Sri Subiyandani, was quoted as saying by Antara news agency earlier this week that the number of Singaporean citizens arriving recorded the sharpest increase in March with 21,003 visitors, an increase of 69.41 percent compared to February. 

When asked about the reason behind the decline of Russian tourists coming to Bali, Endang simply stated it needed more research.

“We need deeper research [for that question] because our data release was monthly [not yearly],” she said. 

Bali saw a surge in Russian tourists following its reopening in 2022, a year that saw an estimated 58,000 Russians arrivals on the island, many of whom reportedly came to get away from the country’s military conflict in Ukraine. 

Reports of misbehaving Russian tourists have been coloring the local news for a while now, including stories of misconduct at sacred places, vandalism, and working without legal permits. It became so intense that even Bali Governor Wayan Koster suggested removing Russian tourists from Indonesia’s list of nationalities eligible for visas on arrival.

Russians most deported nationality from Bali so far this year: Immigration
Out of the 40 foreigners deported from Bali so far in 2023, 14 were Russian citizens, a far higher number than any other country.
Russians most deported nationality from Bali so far this year: Immigration
Out of the 40 foreigners deported from Bali so far in 2023, 14 were Russian citizens, a far higher number than any other country.


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