UPDATE Sept. 17: Singapore Airlines reached out to Coconuts to clarify that the company did not make any announcements on reinstating their Bali flights. You can read the story here.
Original story follows.
As the COVID-19 crisis in Bali looks increasingly to be under control, the island’s reopening to foreign tourism may actually be right around the corner, according to recent statements from Indonesian officials and tourism players.
Most notably, Made Ramia Adnyana from the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) told local media outlets yesterday that Singapore Airlines has announced a restart of their daily flights from Singapore to Bali in November.
“This is a very positive signal for Bali, but we must keep our health protocols tight to avoid a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ramia said.
No specific date in November has been announced yet, and Singapore Airlines touching down in Bali is indeed contingent on Indonesia lifting international travel restrictions, at least for the island of the gods.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin also implied the possibility of a November reopening to international tourism in an interview with Reuters. The final decision would depend on 70 percent of Indonesia’s target population (which itself is 70 percent of the total population) having received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine.
This week, Bali was downgraded to Level 3 of the Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM), after mostly being under Level 4 — the highest level — ever since the four-tiered restrictions system was introduced in late July.
One of Indonesia’s senior ministers, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, had also signaled that reopening foreign tourism might be possible once Bali reaches Level 2.
Related — No Backpackers: Top Indonesian minister wants ‘clean’ Bali when foreign tourism restarts
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