Bali is one of the most popular tourist destinations for beach holidays in the world. But the opening of the island to visitors is delayed again – perhaps by the end of 2022.
Although holidays in Europe this year were generally possible for most countries, long-distance travelers, especially lovers of Asia, still need to be patient. Most recently, the Thai government announced that, planning to open to tourists in July, the country will welcome visitors only in October. Now Indonesia, with its popular tourist island Bali, is also coming with bad news: it is unlikely that the island of Bali will be open to tourists until the third or fourth quarter of 2022.
Bali plans to resume tourism only at the end of 2022
Bali closed for visits back in May 2020 due to the Crown Pandemic and since then several plans have been presented to open up tourism. Most recently, a restart of the industry was scheduled for July 2021, but it was also postponed by Tourism Minister Sandiago Uno due to rising infections.
According to local media reports, the Bali tourism ministry now wants to wait for the autumn G20 summit to open its borders. The exact dates of the summit have not yet been determined, although they are expected in October or November. Bali is one of the most popular places in Indonesia. The government hopes to gradually roll out the tourist reboot a few weeks before the G20 meeting.
The current situation with the coronavirus pandemic in Bali
Bali has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic – the level of infection and mortality is very high. Currently, according to Johns Hopkins University, about 13 percent of Indonesia’s population is fully vaccinated, but in Bali, more than 70 percent have already received the first dose of the vaccine. However, prolonged isolation is likely to have a serious impact on the Indonesian island’s economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism. The consequences are likely to be felt in the next few years.