A group of tourism operators are calling on the central government to ease entry requirements for travelers in Bali, as the island’s international tourism long-anticipated relaunch has been met with a mere whimper.
The Bali Rise Forum (FBB) made the plea in a meeting yesterday with government representatives, the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), the Indonesian Tourist Industry Association (GIPI), and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, arguing the need to recognize Bali as a special tourism region.
“[One way to do this] is to reinstate visa-on-arrival and visa-free entry [for international travelers arriving in Bali], specifically for travelers from countries with low COVID-19 cases,” FBB member Puspa Negara said during the meeting.
Indonesia, which granted the aforementioned visa privileges to a great many international travelers, many of whom holiday in Bali, suspended the waivers when it tightened its borders at the onset of the pandemic.
The forum also suggested that mandatory quarantine specifically for travelers heading to Bali be kept short amid plans by the central government to lengthen the period to 14 days.Bali reopened to foreign tourists from select countries in October.
Prior to the reopening, the island only saw 45 international tourists arriving in the first 10 months of 2021. We have yet to see the numbers after October’s reopening, though early indications suggest that the international tourism relaunch has been wholly anticlimactic.
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