Bali suggests travel bubble plan to lure back Australian tourists

Hotels and resorts in Bali are desperate for our return. They have a bold idea for how to do it – but it may have already hit a snag.

Bali’s hotels and resorts have floated the idea of a “travel bubble” with Australia as the holiday island slowly emerges from coronavirus lockdowns.

Bali has been flagged by Indonesian’s government as one of the regions that is ready to soon return to a so-called “new normal”, which will see local economies rebooted while maintaining safety protocols.

And with hotels in Bali hopeful to start receiving guests by next month, a travel bubble with Australia – one of its biggest sources of international visitors – could be the way to do it, the Australian Financial Review reported.

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“We support a ‘travel bubble’ plan because we know that when Australians are allowed to travel, they will want to come to Bali,” Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association chairman Rai Suryawijaya told the publication.

A deserted beach in Kuta on May 29. Picture: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP

While there have been no official talks between Jakarta and Canberra about reopening tourism to Australians, there are hopes in Bali those discussions will happen soon.

Komang Artana, the general manager of X2 Bali Breakers Resort in South Bali, backed the idea of an Australia-Bali travel bubble, telling the AFP it would be welcomed by many tourism operators on the island.

Travel bubbles are being increasingly seen as a way for international travel to safely resume between regions where community transmissions are low.

Australia and New Zealand discussed the idea of a trans-Tasman travel bubble in April, while similar plans are being considered around the world. Last month, the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened borders to each other, creating the first “travel bubble” within the European Union.

Despite hopes for an Australia-Bali travel bubble, the island’s governor has warned he had no plan to reopen the island to tourism anytime soon.

Balinese security employees stand by a closed-off entrance gate leading to a beach amid the COVID-19 pandemic near Denpasar. Picture: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP

Wayan Koster echoed comments from Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who said tourism would be a low priority in the central government’s “new normal” plan.

“We are prioritising health in Bali,” the governor said, according to local outlet Coconuts Bali.

“The president has also agreed that tourism will be (considered) last.”

Last week Mr Widodo cautioned against reopening tourist destinations too quickly.

“Once again, on the field it needs to be extremely strict before we reopen, so that travellers, whether domestic or foreign, can travel safely and members of the public can return to a productive life,” he said, Coconuts Bali reported.

There are, however, plans for Bali to become the pilot location for a new federal cleanliness and safety program, run by the Indonesian tourism ministry, that will ensure safe return of tourists after the pandemic.

Bali, which relies heavily on income from tourism, has been hard hit during the pandemic, with experts warning the impact on the local economy could be “catastrophic”.

About 1.23 million tourists visited Bali in 2019. Picture: iStock

About 96 per cent of Bali’s hotels and resorts have been closed after the Indonesian government put bans on overseas arrivals and limited domestic travel, especially from virus hot spots such as Jakarta.

Some 1.23 million Australians holidayed in Bali last year and locals are keen for their return, although they know it will be a slow journey back.

“In the past, as many as 16,000 foreign tourists arrived each day. If we reopen in July, I can’t predict how many tourists will come,” Mr Rai from the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association told the AFR.

“Even if we could get 10 flights to land each day, with social distancing restrictions on board, there may be only 150 people on board each flight so that’s just 1500 arrivals each day. We know occupancy rates will remain low, at least until next year.”

Bali has reported 407 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. In Indonesia overall, there have been 26,940 cases and at least 1641 deaths as of today.