Bali has once again proven its allure as a top tourist destination, with foreign visitor numbers soaring in the first eight months of 2024. From January to August, a remarkable 4.46 million foreign tourists visited Bali, marking an impressive 22.62% increase compared to the same period in 2023, which saw 3.64 million arrivals.
Silmy Karim, the Director General of Immigration, highlighted this upward trend despite the visa requirements for most travelers entering Indonesia.
“If we look at the trend, there’s been an increase [in foreign arrivals] of more than 22.6% compared to last year, even though most visitors need a visa to enter Indonesia,” Karim stated in an official release on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
The surge in visitor numbers was also evident at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, which recorded a total of 4.48 million departures by foreign nationals within the same period. This indicates that a staggering 8.94 million foreign nationals passed through the airport between January and August 2024, showcasing Bali’s growing appeal to international travelers.
According to Karim, the ease of obtaining visas through the evisa.imigrasi.go.id platform has been a significant factor in this growth. “The convenience of the e-visa process has certainly played a role,” he explained. Additionally, Bali’s status as a highly sought-after destination on the global stage continues to attract visitors in droves.
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Karim also pointed out that the increasing number of foreign arrivals is a clear sign of rebounding aviation activities and passenger movement following the COVID-19 pandemic. To accommodate this growing influx, he emphasized the need for ongoing enhancements to digital services, ensuring that the experience of foreign nationals in Indonesia is both seamless and memorable.
“I see this as a positive trend. Our progress is getting better, and hopefully, it will continue to improve in the future,” he expressed optimistically.
In broader terms, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reported a significant rise in international tourist arrivals to Indonesia overall. Up until July 2024, the country welcomed 7.75 million foreign visitors, marking a substantial 20.7% increase from the 6.42 million arrivals recorded in the same period last year.
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This surge represents the highest level of foreign tourist visits since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, when numbers plummeted. In 2020, the January-July period saw 3.28 million international arrivals, which sharply declined to just 858,564 in 2021 due to global travel restrictions. However, recovery began in 2022, with visits rising to 2.12 million and continuing their upward trajectory into 2023 with 6.42 million international tourists.
The latest figures underscore a revitalized tourism sector, particularly for Bali, as foreign tourists worldwide are once again drawn to its captivating charm and vibrant culture.
