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Bali opens to international flights from 19 countries
The countries include weighty tourist source countries like China and India, but excludes others, such as Australia and Malaysia.
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Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali, pictured above in a file photo, had yet to receive any landing requests from international flights as of Wednesday, after the government announced its decision to reopen the island for foreign tourists. (AP I/Handout)
T
he government has reallowed international flights to Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport, even though none have been scheduled so far, in a bid to revive the top tourism destination’s economy after over a year of travel restrictions.
The Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment minister wrote on Wednesday that Bali and the Riau Islands may accept international flights under certain conditions from 19 countries with low COVID-19 positivity rates and caseloads.
The eligible countries are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Norway.
China and India are Bali’s second and third-biggest tourist source countries, with Australia holding top spot. The two Asian countries contributed 24.9 percent to the province’s total foreign tourist arrivals in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show.
“I hope the reopening of Bali runs smoothly and the government will evaluate the reopening from time to time,” said Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.
Tourists on such flights are required to quarantine for five days, show evidence of having received at least two vaccine doses, provide a negative PCR test result and have health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment abroad, among other requirements.
Specific requirements are regulated under COVID-19 task force decree No. 14/2021 and circular letter No. 20/2021, both of which were issued on Wednesday.
