More than 20,000 domestic tourists are visiting Bali daily, governor claims
Talk in recent weeks has mostly focused on Bali’s international tourism, but Indonesia’s most popular destination is now seeing tourism numbers picking up by tens of thousands thanks to domestic holidaymakers, according to Bali Governor Wayan Koster.
Koster said yesterday that around 20,000 domestic tourists have been visiting Bali daily recently, including those flying into Denpasar and travelers crossing from neighboring islands.
“So it is estimated that in one day there are more than 20,000 domestic tourists visiting Bali by air or land,” Koster said.
The governor said the numbers are close to how it was at the end of last year, which led to the province seeing a modest economic growth of about 2.8 percent, following months of negative growth.
“We have to work hard so that the situation is under control and we will manage it as best as possible,” Koster said.
With domestic tourism numbers on the mend, Indonesia appears to be on track to see some growth in its overall tourism industry with Bali now open to visitors from 19 eligible countries. The island might be heading into a busy November ahead, with Koster claiming that over 20,000 foreign tourists have booked their Bali hotel rooms for next month.
However, Ngurah Rai International Airport has yet to see a pick-up in international routes for the time being. (coconuts.co 19/10/2021)
In numbers: The casualties and damages from Saturday’s 4.8-magnitude quake in Bali’s Karangasem regency
At least three people were killed and hundreds of houses were badly damaged after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck Bali’s Karangasem regency on Saturday, with authorities on the island now able to disclose the devastating numbers after tallying up casualties and damages from the disaster.
Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers 8 kilometers northwest of Karangasem at 4:18am.
A report published by the Karangasem’s Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) yesterday evening said that at least 243 houses were heavily damaged in the area, while at least 300 houses sustained minor damages and three others were moderately damaged.
Some 21 pelinggih (sacred Balinese Hindu shrines) and two temples were reportedly heavily damaged as a result of the quake, while one temple saw minor damages.
The quake also damaged one education facility and triggered landslides in three access points. The damages occured in a number of villages across four districts, namely Ban and Dukuh villages in Kubu district, Rendang dan Pempatan villages in Rendang district, Jungutan village in Bebandem district, and Amerta Buana in Selat district.
Officials have yet to quantify the financial losses from the material damages.
One person in Karangasem was reportedly killed in the earthquake, while six people were seriously injured and 69 others suffered minor injuries.
The Karangasem regent has declared the regency to be under the emergency response status, which will last for seven days until Oct. 22.
Other than Karangasem, nearby Bangli regency also saw structural damages from the quake, including 26 houses that suffered heavy damages, and nine that were moderately damaged. Public facilities that were impacted include one village office and one puskesmas (community clinic), among others, as reported by the Bangli BPBD office.
Two people were reportedly killed in Bangli, while two people were seriously injured and five others sustained minor injuries. The BPBD office reported that five families, amounting to 19 people, had to evacuate their homes.
Damage was reported in three villages in Kintamani district, namely Trunyan village, Abang Batu Dinding village, and Abang Songan village.
BPBD in Karangasem and Bangli have set up tents for residents whose houses were destroyed in the earthquake. (coconuts.co 19/10/2021)
Indonesia is handing out discounts to encourage airlines to restart Bali routes
Indonesia’s airport management firm says it is giving out financial stimuli for airlines to restart their international routes to and from Bali, with the island now reopened for tourists from select countries.
In a statement issued this week, PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I), which manages Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, said they are giving discounts on landing fees from Oct. 14, 2021 to 30 June, 2022. The program is open to both international and domestic airlines.
Until the end of December, airlines with international flights headed for Bali won’t have to pay any landing fees, the statement said. Afterwards, from Jan. 1 to June 30, they’d still get to enjoy a 50 percent discount.
“We are hoping that with this incentive, it would ease the airlines’ burden to reactivate their international routes to and from Bali,” AP I CEO, Faik Fahmi, said.
There are certain criteria that airlines must fulfill to get this incentive, such as the flights having to be commercial. Freighter, charter, or general aviation, on the other hand, would not be eligible for the program.
AP I also said airlines that are granted the stimulus would also get marketing support from the company, such as having their routes promoted on social media.
Bali reopened to international tourists from 19 eligible countries yesterday, but Ngurah Rai has yet to actually welcome international flights, with a spokesman citing what appears to be the result of bureaucratic hiccups.
It’s clear that the reopening won’t have immediate results, but Governor Wayan Koster is already flagging that a busy November should be expected, as he claimed that more than 20,000 foreign tourists have already booked their Bali hotel rooms for next month. (coconuts.co 19/10/2021)
Bali’s International Border Has Officially Reopened For 19 Countries
The central government has announced that Bali has officially reopened their international borders for visitors and has expanded the list of eligible countries from 5 to 19 countries.
The Maritime and Investment Coordinator Minister, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan confirmed that the central government has decided to start allowing visitors from more countries as one of the efforts to revive Bali’s economic sector. “In accordance with the latest President’s instruction, we finally decided to grant permission for a total of 19 countries to visit the island.” Luhut said on Wednesday (13/10).
After previously announcing only allowing entry for travelers from 5 countries such as South Korea, China, Japan, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates when the border reopens on October 14th 2021, the central government decided last minute to open its international border for 14 additional countries. The additional chosen countries are: Norway, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Liechtenstein, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and India.
Luhut explained that those countries were selected because of their ability to handle the Covid-19 pandemic in accordance with standards set by WHO. Despite allowing more visitors to come in, he also reminds the community that each of the international travelers are required to comply with all entry requirements such as showing proof of their Covid-19 vaccination, they’ve tested negative from Covid-19 and will undergo 5 days quarantine upon their arrivals.
“All travelers including Indonesian citizens who enter our border are required to undergo 5 days quarantine and will be tested again with a PCR test on the fourth day.” Luhut concluded. Visitors are also required to show proof of their hotel reservation and must have insurance with coverage of at least USD 70,422 (IDR 1 billion).
British National Rescued After Falling Into A River In Bali
A British national named Cyrus has been evacuated from a river in the Tegalalang rice terrace area after slipping from an 8 meter high ravine.
The Head of the Tegalalang Police Department, AKP I Ketut Sudita confirmed that Cyrus was rescued after falling to a river while trekking the rice terrace area with his friends on Sunday afternoon (17/10). “Despite suffering serious injury, the victim was still conscious when he was rescued by our authorities.” AKP Sudita said on Sunday.
Prior to the incident, the victim and his 5 other friends decided to visit Tegalalang rice terrace to start trekking at around 2:30pm. Unfortunately, when Cyrus attempted to cross a wooden bridge between Pakudui and Banjar Kebon, he slipped and fell into a river that is located at the bottom of a ravine. Thankfully, several villagers who had been working on their field that afternoon saw the incident and attempted to help the man and called the police.
Shortly after, his 5 friends found his location as he kept on shouting for help. Authorities from the police department and red cross organization (PMI) finally arrived at the scene around 3:10pm and attempted to carry him without a stretcher due to the bad weather and difficult terrain. “We finally managed to reach a safer area and rushed him to Siloam Hospital with an ambulance from Gianyar PMI around 4:20pm.” AKP Sudita concluded. (thebalisun.com 18/10/2021)
Bali Governor Claims That 20,000 Hotel Rooms Are Booked For November
Bali Governor, I Wayan Koster has claimed that over 20,000 hotel rooms in Bali have been reserved by international visitors for November 2021.
During a press conference at Bali I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport on Thursday (14/10), Koster stated that as a response to the recent announcement in regards of the additional countries that are allowed to visit the island, a total of 20,000 hotel rooms in Bali were recently booked by international visitors from 11 different countries such as Norway, Hungary, China, Japan, India, South Korea, France, Spain, Sweden and Poland for vacation in November 2021.
“According to the report that I received yesterday, 11 out of 19 countries that are allowed onto the island have recently made around 20,000 hotel reservations for their holidays in November.” Koster said. He was also optimistic that Bali is expecting more visitors in the upcoming months as many potential visitors from the selected countries begin to pack their bags once they’re informed about this travel bubble arrangement.
Koster also urged the tourism businesses along with the provincial government to boost their promotion campaign in order to attract more visitors. However, he also reminds people to keep complying with all the government’s instructions in regards to the prevention protocols to prevent creating Covid-19 clusters while reactivating the international market in Bali.
“We hope this will give positive momentum in reviving our tourism industry, so our next development programs in the upcoming years can be implemented as planned.” Koster concluded. (thebalisun.com 18/10/2021)
Indonesia, Malaysia to start work on travel corridor
Indonesia and Malaysia will start a travel corridor between the two nations and finalise maritime borders in accordance with international law, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister said on Monday after a meeting with her Malaysian counterpart.
Retno LP Marsudi also said Southeast Asian countries would continue to offer Myanmar humanitarian help, despite the lack of cooperation by its ruling military in committing to a peace roadma, she was quoted by Reuters.
Last week, the Indonesian government decided to reopen Bali to foreign tourists after 18 months of pandemic hiatus.
The decision was made after a sharp fall in coronavirus cases since July, when Indonesia was Asia’s COVID-19 epicentre.
Details about the reopening have been patchy and Indonesia only identified 19 eligible countries late on Wednesday. Those include China, India, Japan, South Korea and several European and Gulf countries.
In Malaysia, with the outbreak gradually easing, Langkawi, one of tropical Malaysia’s premier holiday destinations, has been chosen for a pilot project to reopen the sector to domestic tourists.
The island began welcoming visitors in mid-September, with water cannons firing over the first plane to land at its airport. (The Jakarta Post 18/10/2021)