Social media has been abuzz with claims that Bali is unusually quiet ahead of the 2026 Christmas and New Year holiday season. Is the island really slowing down at its busiest time of year?
Bali Governor Wayan Koster says the answer is no. He pushed back against the viral claims that say Bali is quiet, stressing that tourist arrivals are not declining. In fact, they are rising. According to Koster, Bali is currently welcoming around 17,000 to 20,000 international visitors every day. Hotel occupancy sits between 60 and 80 percent, a level he considers solid for this period. So why do some areas feel quieter than usual?
Koster explained that travel behavior has shifted. Rainy weather still dominates much of the island. Because of that, many tourists prefer staying inside their hotels or villas rather than going out. Fewer people on the roads creates the impression of emptiness. This visual effect, he said, has led some transport operators to mistakenly assume that visitor numbers are dropping.
Despite the mixed perceptions, the provincial government remains confident about its tourism targets. Bali aims to attract seven million foreign tourists throughout 2025. As of December 16, arrivals had already reached about 6.7 million. Koster noted that the real surge usually begins in the third week of December. That momentum often carries through the Christmas and New Year period and continues until March.
Still, he acknowledged a gap between rising visitor numbers and hotel performance. Occupancy rates are not increasing as sharply as expected. The reason, he said, lies in where tourists choose to stay.
“That’s a different issue. Some tourists use accommodation facilities through Airbnb that do not pay taxes. As a result, the increase in tourist numbers is not proportional to the increase in hotel occupancy and hotel and restaurant tax revenue,” he explained.
Koster said he had reviewed occupancy figures directly. “I checked that the lowest hotel occupancy rate is 60 percent. Places like The Meru are at 80 percent, and five-star hotels in Nusa Dua are also around 80 percent. So actually, it should be able to go higher than that,” he added.
He also pointed out a growing issue on the ground. Many boarding houses in Bali are now being used as tourist accommodations through Airbnb. These properties, he said, operate without paying taxes, creating an imbalance for licensed hotels and reducing regional tax income.
At the same time, tourism operators acknowledge that challenges remain. Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which manages the Nusa Dua area, confirmed that some travelers are concerned about weather conditions, flooding, and waste issues. To reduce risk, ITDC advises tourists to plan outdoor activities earlier in the day, when weather conditions tend to be more stable.
Even so, ITDC remains optimistic. The long holiday stretch from December 22 through early January is expected to provide a strong boost for Bali’s tourism sector. For industry players, it is seen not as a slow period, but as a critical window when visitor activity traditionally peaks.
In short, Bali may look quieter on the surface. But beneath that calm, the island is still welcoming thousands of visitors every single day.
