Bali is the latest destination to join a growing list of countries that have announced plans to reopen their borders in October. The reopening will allow travelers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States to enter Indonesia with just one visa.
Bali has selected four countries for the international travel reopening in October. The country that will be included is still unknown, but it will include all of Europe and North America.
Due of COVID-19 outbreaks, Bali’s planned reopening to foreign visitors has been delayed many times this year, but authorities now anticipate a restricted reopening by the end of October.
With the advent of the Delta variety in June, Indonesia was hit hard by a new wave of infections, which forced Bali into lockdown. However, the number of new cases is already decreasing throughout the country, and vaccination rates are rising, boosting optimism for the country’s tourist sector to be restored.
Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati (Cok Ace), Bali’s Deputy Governor, revealed to The Bali Sun that the Indonesian central government intends to reopen the island to a limited group of international tourists by October by negotiating “travel corridor” agreements with a few nations. Bali’s provincial administration has already chosen the first four countries from which visitors would be welcomed: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Russia.
“We’ve chosen a number of nations, including Russia, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to begin implementing the travel bubble program depending on their duration of stay in Bali. And tourists from those nations often stay on the island for two weeks.” On Monday, Cok Ace disclosed. These nations, he added, were selected based on the rules of the federal government.
While the vaccine rollout in Indonesia as a whole hasn’t progressed very far, with just around 19 percent of the country’s population completely immunized, the effort has been greater in tourist destinations like Bali. “According to current statistics, about 97 percent of Bali residents have got their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination, with 75 percent completing the second dosage. The immunization campaign is scheduled to end in early October, according to Cok Ace.
While plans have yet to be finalized, the provincial administration of Bali has developed three distinct schemes that may be adopted when foreign tourists arrive:
—Allowing tourists access to the whole island if COVID-19 transmission risks are well-managed.
—Allowing visitors to only visit specified “green zone” locations in the event that COVID-19 instances increase.
—If COVID-19 infections continue to rise, visitors’ freedom of movement inside green zone regions will be restricted.
“Before reopening our border, we must also plan for the worst-case scenario to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak similar to that seen in Singapore.” Cok Ace was also included. Sandiago Uno, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister, told Phuket-based publication Thaiger that the reopening of Bali would need caution. “I suggest that we proceed with caution. There are new variations in the horizon. We need to start small.”
“Australia would most likely be considered after it has already reached an 80 percent vaccination rate,” an official from Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism told CNBC. Bali was on pace to reopen in October, according to the spokesman, as of September 17.
The bali news today 2024 is a new opening for international travel in October. Bali has chosen four countries to reopen its borders with in the upcoming months.
