Bali ‘likely’ to remain closed for international tourists until 2021

It was initially slated to reopen in September
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The perennially popular Indonesian island of Bali is set to remain closed to tourists until 2021, its government has said.

Originally slated to reopen its border in September, Bali governor Wayan Koster said the process of allowing tourists back would ‘not be rushed’ and ‘requires careful preparation’.

Koster added: “The situation in Bali is not conducive to allow foreign tourists to visit.”

Indonesia has seen 160,000 cases of coronavirus and just under 7,000 deaths, making it the second-worst hit region in Asia following the Philippines.

The tourism-dependant country has been hard hit, with 70,000 people jobless in Bali alone.

It reopened to domestic tourism on July 1, but many hotels have few guests. As of Monday, Bali had reported 4,576 cases of coronavirus and 52 deaths.

The island saw six million visitors arrive in 2019 and tourism accounts for 80 per cent of its economy, so many have been left devastated by the pandemic.

Koster added: “Bali must not fail because it will have a negative impact on the image of Indonesia, including Bali in the eyes of the world, which could have counter-productive consequences for tourism recovery efforts.”

The Indonesian government also released a statement which read: “The regulation signed by the Minister of Law and Human Rights that prohibits foreigners from entering Indonesia is still in effect. The Indonesian government will not allow for the entry of foreign tourists to Indonesia until the end of 2020, because Indonesia is still in the red zone category.

“Until the end of 2020, the Provincial Government of Bali will optimise efforts to bring domestic tourists to Bali in order to restore tourism and the economy of Bali.”

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