Bali is becoming a favorite destination for Indian travelers, and the numbers prove it. Tourist arrivals from India have climbed steadily, making the country one of the most important markets for Indonesia’s tourism industry. What makes Bali especially attractive is not only its natural beauty but also the cultural and spiritual connections it shares with India through Hindu traditions.
Accessibility has also played a key role in this growth. Since December 1, 2023, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali has operated direct flights from New Delhi. These flights have made traveling to the Island of the Gods much easier for Indian tourists, encouraging more frequent visits.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Bali highlighted this trend with its July 2025 data. A total of 697,107 international tourists visited Bali during that month. Out of that figure, Indian tourists ranked third with 45,288 arrivals. Australian visitors led the list with 161,051, followed by Chinese tourists at 59,651.
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Earlier in May 2025, Bali saw an even stronger surge from India. BPS recorded 67,995 arrivals from Indian tourists, placing them in the second spot that month. The spike coincided with India’s wedding season, which brought many couples to Bali for honeymoons and family holidays.
“Experiencing quite a significant increase of 36.93 percent (from 49,658 visits previously). If you look at the media, May in India is wedding season, similar to our ‘duwasa ayu’ (auspicious dates). So, many couples come for honeymoons or holidays in Bali,” said Agus Gede Hendrayana Hermawan, Head of BPS Bali, as quoted by Antara.
On a broader scale, data from BPS shows that 606,439 Indian tourists visited Indonesia in 2023. However, in 2024, the number of Indian visitors to Bali dropped to 550,379. Even with the decline, India still held its position as the second-largest source of international tourists to Bali, just after Australia.
Looking ahead, the potential is even bigger. Tourism experts note that if Indonesia were to adopt visa-free entry for Indian citizens, as Malaysia and Thailand have already done, arrivals from India could increase dramatically. For Bali and the wider tourism industry in Indonesia, Indian travelers are shaping up to be a key market that cannot be overlooked.
