Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno is scheduled to visit Australia from July 6 to July 12 in a bid to boost Bali tourism by encouraging Australians to travel to the Island of Gods.
“We are preparing a visit to Australia. This will be my first official visit since I started my term in the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy,” Sandiaga said yesterday.
Australians are typically among Bali’s top travelers – bolstered by cheap flights and keenly priced tourism attractions, from night clubs to beaches. Since Bali started gradually reopening its international airport for international flights, Australians have begun flocking to Bali to satisfy their pent-up wanderlust.
“We see that Australia is still a potential market to increase tourist arrivals [with] Bali as the main destination. But naturally there are other destinations that we have prepared,” the minister added.
This year, Indonesia aims to see between 1.8 to 3.6 million tourist arrivals. According to the Ministry, 15,000 travelers have arrived in Bali in 2022 as of last week with visas on arrival (VOA). Most of them came from Australia, Singapore, the US, France, and the UK.
There are currently only 42 nationalities eligible for VOA entry.
A publication has claimed that tourist arrivals from down under, in particular, have been helping revive Bali’s economy.
Separately, Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams confirmed that many Australians are looking forward to returning to Bali now that the island is officially open to tourists again.
