Bali governor says tourism on resort island unaffected by revocation of visa-free entry to Indonesia
The Indonesian government earlier in June signed a regulation which suspended visa-free visits from 159 countries.
Foreign tourists enjoy their holiday on a beach in Seminyak, Badung regency on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Dec 7, 2022. (File Photo: AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
DENPASAR, Bali: Tourism in Bali has not been affected by the revocation of visa-free entry for tourists from 159 countries nor by the outbreak of rabies, according to the Indonesian province’s administration.
"So far, we have not witnessed any problems that have hindered Bali's (tourism numbers). In fact, Bali is fully booked until August," Bali Governor I Wayan Koster was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying on Monday (Jun 26).
He said this after attending the Plenary Session of the Bali Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) in Denpasar City.
According to Antara, Mr Koster reportedly said that some parties had earlier predicted that the revocation of visa-free entry for travellers to Indonesia would lead to a decline in international tourist visits to the province.
However, he stressed on Monday that Bali is experiencing an increase in international tourist visits.
According to Antara, Mr Koster said that a total of 16,246 tourists visited the island between Jun 1 and Jun 7. He added that the number continued to increase by four per cent each day until Jun 22.
“So, rabies, visa-free revocation and any other factors circulating (in the public) do not harm Bali's tourism in any way," he said, adding that nothing is preventing tourists from visiting Bali.
Instead, the number of international tourist visits has kept increasing, Mr Koster reportedly said, which in turn has positively impacted the province's economy.
On Jun 7, the Indonesian government signed a regulation which suspended visa-free visits from 159 countries.
The only countries exempted from the rule are those belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand among others.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo reportedly said last Wednesday: “(The decision to suspend visa-free visits) must be through evaluation. We used to be totally open (to visits from a lot of countries).
“The evaluation is about whether it is beneficial or not to the country. If it is not, it must be stopped.”
He explained that other countries also evaluate their own visa-free policy. “All countries do that, (they hold) an evaluation and (consider) the benefits,” Mr Widodo was quoted as saying by Tempo.
A spokesperson for the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Mr Achmad Nur Saleh, reportedly said that the regulation was also issued due to the potential transmission of diseases from countries that are not certified as disease-free by the World Health Organization (WHO).
On the rabies outbreak in Bali, Mr Koster said that the heads of Bali’s Agriculture Office and Health Office are working together to handle the situation, according to Antara.
The provincial government is also reportedly collaborating with the Health Ministry and district governments.
"The central government is supporting our efforts to accelerate the rabies vaccination. Bali is being prioritised due to its status as a tourist destination," said Mr Koster.
According to detikHealth, records from the Ministry of Health show that there have been 19,035 rabies cases reported in Bali from January to May 2023 while the vaccination of dogs is only around 55 per cent.
Meanwhile, national data until April 2023 reportedly showed 31,113 bite cases from rabies-transmitting animals.
According to the Bali Provincial Health Office, Bali is among the 24 provinces in Indonesia facing a rabies outbreak. Only 10 provinces in the country have a rabies-free status.
