Bali Hopes to Reopen to International Tourism in September
Bali is a famous Indonesian island known for its volcanic mountains, beaches and coral reefs. The island is also home to religious sites, nightlife, popular resort towns, and yoga and meditation retreats. That makes it arguably Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination. Last year, 6.3 million foreign tourist visited Bali, with Australians leading the count. But just like every country and tourist destination around the world, Bali has also been off limits to international tourists as Indonesia struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
But local government officials hope that tourist can soon be able to visit Bali once again, if everything goes according to plan and the coronavirus numbers improve. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, Bali’s vice-governor and former chair of the island’s hotel and restaurant association, tells CNN Travel they have a tentative reopening date set for September 11, because reopening is critical to the island’s economy.
Hotel arrivals in July for example were down over 99% year on year, while the island is missing out on around 9.7 trillion rupiah (over $650 million) of income every month. The local industry relies heavily on tourism money. Tens of thousands of local workers have been laid off and even more in Bali’s large informal tourist economy are hurting without visitors.
Any type of reopening for Bali will need cooperation from the central government. They are the ones who dictate when tourist visas can be issued. It will probably take a bit longer for Indonesia to demonstrate control over the pandemic, and even the current numbers that are reported, are considered as under counted.
Visiting Indonesia
Visiting Indonesia is not banned outright, but restrictions put in place make it very difficult for tourists to justify vacationing in the country.
All foreign visitors arriving in Indonesia are required to hold a health certificate issued by health authorities from their home countries and undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated facilities conducted by the Indonesian government or self-quarantine under supervision of the Indonesian health authority. Being locked up indoors at a government facility is not the ideal vacation for anyone.
Also, most travel and medical insurers will not cover visitors to destinations their government recommends avoiding. Indonesia continues to see an upward trajectory of new COVID-19 cases, although Bali has been doing a better job at flattening the curve.
Entry and Exit Requirements for U.S. Citizens
U.S. Citizens are permitted to enter Indonesia, but only with an existing valid visa or residence permit. The Indonesian government has restricted foreign visitors from transiting and traveling to Indonesian Territory unless they are in possession of an existing valid visa or residence permit.
Visa-free and visa-on-arrival entry for all foreign travelers, including U.S. citizens, remains suspended. So far, the Indonesian government has not indicated a timeline for when international visitors will be able to enter the country.
Holders of Visa on Arrival (B213) granted an Emergency Stay Permit can extend their permits for an additional 30 days unless the Indonesian government declares the COVID-19 pandemic over. The permit extension period for holders of VOA began on July 13 and the deadline is August 20, 2020. You can find more relevant information here.
Americans rank 6th in the number of foreign visitors that travel to Bali every year. Australia leads the list, followed by China, India Russia and Japan that rounds up the top five.
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