Bali has always had a special place in my heart, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Lynn Cupido. The island seems to radiate with a kind of energy that you won’t find anywhere else in the world, the people are genuinely friendly, and despite being nestled so far away from so-called “western society,” it has a welcoming ex-pat community.
It should be no surprise then that pre-pandemic the Island of the Gods was welcoming around six million internationally travellers per year in 2019, a crucial statistic for a nation that relies heavily on tourism, with the industry contributing to around 80% of the economy, reports the Jakarta Post.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the popular holiday destination saw a record low in 2021 with only 45 eager travellers making their way to Bali from January to October.
“That is the lowest number of foreign tourist visits we’ve ever recorded,” Nyoman Gede Gunadika, section head of tourism for Bali Province, told CNN.
The drastic dip in numbers is due to strict border control measures and a closed airport with tourist visas, which are usually free on arrival, arent being made available, forcing visitors to pay $295 for a basic e-visa.
The island first shut its borders in March 2020, along with the rest of the world as the COVID-19 virus rapidly spread. However, despite the hindrance of a pandemic, Bali still received around one million visitors.
While Bali has always been a relatively affordable destination, multiple PCR tests, the requirement of health insurance, and a mandatory quarantine stay in a hotel for 10 days, ensures that visitors simply looking to explore all that this beautiful destination has to offer will add an additional $1000 to their trip.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel as tourism slowly, but surely returns with Bali’s hotel occupancy now sitting at around 35%
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