The Tourism Minister of Indonesia, Sandiaga Uno, has announced that Bali will reopen for international tourists by February 4, 2022.
During the virtual weekly press briefing on Monday (31/1), Sandiaga confirmed that the central government has decided to reopen Bali borders to international visitors from all countries starting on Friday (4/2).
“We will try to implement this policy by February 4,” Sandiaga said on Monday. The visa and health insurance requirements will be addressed by a separate regulation, to be released in the following days.
Sandiaga also announced that the direct-flight policy will no longer apply come February 4. Arriving visitors may then use either direct or connecting flights to enter the island.
Garuda Indonesia confirmed that it will resume direct flights between Narita (Japan) and Bali, while Singapore Airlines will resume daily flights to Bali by February 16. More airlines are expected to resume direct flights, especially as demand grows.
Quarantine Will Still Apply
The Maritime and Investment Ministry Coordinator, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, stated that this decision was initiated to revive Bali tourism, but that visitors are still required to undergo quarantine per the current travel policy.
“Vaccinated visitors will still need to undergo five to seven days of quarantine. They have the option of staying in five different hotels and six live-on-board ships with Clean Health Safety Environment (CHSE) certifications from the Tourism Ministry.”
Visa On Arrival Issues
The Indonesian government will soon decide the status of Bali’s other requirements, like which types of Visas, will be available for incoming tourists. It’s been very challenging for travelers to enter Bali in recent months because of the suspension of the visa on arrival program.
If the government decides to reinstate the visa on arrival program, tourists may be willing to undergo the 5-day quarantine plan in order to finally have access once again to Bali, but without the visa on arrival program, entry will still be too difficult for most.
Sources: https://thebalisun.com/bali-to-reopen-for-tourism-to-all-countries-starting-february-4/
