The presence of Chinese and Japanese tourists in Bali is set to become even more seamless starting August 17, 2025. Bank Indonesia (BI) will officially expand its QRIS Cross Border cooperation to these two countries, following successful integrations with Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
This move is seen as a fresh opportunity to elevate Bali’s tourism sector, especially considering that China and Japan are Bali’s largest international tourist sources after Australia. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in 2024, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Bali reached 448,446 people, while tourists from Japan totaled 176,856.
Deputy Head of Bank Indonesia’s Bali Representative Office, Butet Linda Helena Panjaitan, emphasized that QRIS Cross Border would significantly improve the quality of Bali’s tourism. She explained that tourists could now enjoy a smooth and cashless payment experience, which aligns with global digital trends.
“Digitalization makes Bali’s tourism more high-quality because digitalization is the key success factor for building quality tourism. Tourists will find it easier, they don’t need to exchange physical money. Simply by scanning using their own integrated platforms with QRIS, they can immediately make transactions. They no longer need to exchange currencies, which also reduces dependence on global currencies,” said Butet on Monday (June 16, 2025).
Butet also highlighted that Bali is well-prepared to welcome this digital transformation. About 96% of MSMEs across the island, from urban centers to remote villages, already provide QRIS as a payment option. QRIS users in Bali have now exceeded one million, showing the maturity of the island’s digital ecosystem.
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She also shared that tourists from Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia have already enjoyed the benefits of QRIS Cross Border. “They feel it’s convenient because they can use their own platforms without needing to exchange money, they can directly scan their QR codes—like Thai QR, the same applies to Malaysia and Singapore,” Butet explained.
QRIS Cross Border has already shown promising results in Bali. By March 2025, the total transaction value had reached IDR 1.38 billion, which shows that many international visitors have adopted this payment method.
The inclusion of China and Japan into this system is expected to further increase cashless transactions and support Bali’s position as a globally competitive tourist destination.
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