About 210 people were on board the charter flight operated by Jakarta-based Lion Air from Shenzhen in China’s southern Guangdong province and landed at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Sunday at 10:40 a.m. The flight coincided with the start of the Chinese New Year and amid concerns of surging COVID-19 infections in China after Beijing relaxed pandemic curbs.

“They will stay in Bali for six nights,” Bali Tourism Agency head Tjok Bagus Pemayun told The Jakarta Post.

Pemayun said that the charter flight would give new hope to Bali tourism. “It will provide the momentum to woo Chinese travelers back to Bali,” he said.

Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were the second-greatest nationality of travelers that visited Bali. The largest number of foreign travelers to the resort island come from Australia.

In 2017 and 2018, Chinese travelers outnumbered Australians. In 2017, authorities recorded 1.38 million Chinese travelers out of a total 5.69 million foreign travelers to Bali. Australian travelers were second with 1.09 million.

In 2018, the number of Chinese travelers slightly decreased to 1.31 million travelers, although the total number of foreign travelers visiting Bali has increased to 6.01 million. A total of 1.16 million Australian travelers were recorded that year.

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