Bali reopens to world, but not Australians

Bali is open for business again after a Covid-enforced lockdown, but it’s Australians that will make a difference.

Empty restaurants along the usually thriving Padma Street in Seminyak, Bali. Picture: Anggara Mahendra

“We miss Australians so much that we had to shut down one branch because it became completely empty after everyone left … no Australians, no guests.”

Ngurah Indra, the general manager of the famous Made’s Warung restaurant in the tourist hub of Seminyak in Bali, couldn’t help but notice the reality of the shopping strip, lined with boutiques, bars, and ice-cream shops, standing eerily quiet with dozens of businesses plastered with “For Rent” stickers.

The manager said that like thousands of other restaurateurs, hoteliers, and travel operators, he welcomed the reopening of Bali’s borders this week, but he was ­especially looking forward to again seeing Australians pack into the restaurant’s Kuta location, which will open its doors again next month to offer Balinese fare after stopping operations for more than a year.

A security guard checks a visitor's vaccination certificate in Kuta on Thursday. Picture: Anggara Mahendra

Pandemic restrictions led to the 18-month shutdown of tourism in Bali. The sector contributes to more than half of the island’s economy, which contracted 9 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

Bali reported more than 75,000 workers had been laid off or furloughed last year as businesses tried to survive by keeping overhead costs to a minimum.

Indra said his restaurant also had to place half of its staff on temporary leave, mostly the older ones and those with comorbidities, but will “call them right away” once it becomes feasible.

After surviving the Delta surge in July, where more than 1000 new coronavirus infections were recorded daily, this week the ­Indonesian government announced that flights from 19 countries were now allowed to land in Bali, where foreign visitors can proceed to quarantine in designated hotels for five days before kicking off their holidays. Eligible countries include China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, India, and some European and Middle Eastern countries. But not Australia.

Visitors must be fully vaccinated to enter Bali, where more than 80 per cent of the population has had two jabs.

Tourism agency chief I Putu Astaw. Picture: Anggara Mahendra

“In countries where the vaccination rate is high, when the economic activity is reopened, the number of (coronavirus) deaths is low … Looking at that situation, I’m optimistic and we decided to reopen international flights to Bali,” President Joko Widodo said.

While no planes – commercial or chartered – are scheduled to ­arrive this month, Bali’s tourism agency said “some flights” from China and France have indicated they will start coming in November. The agency said that together with local health authorities, it was capable of receiving six international flights a day carrying up to 200 passengers.

“With that number, between 1000 to 1500 foreigners per day, we can conduct PCR tests at the airport and have their results within two hours,” agency chief I Putu Astawa said.

This is a far cry from the more than 6.2 million foreign tourists who came to Bali in 2019 – about 1.23 million of them Australians.

A shuttered restaurant in Kuta on Thursday. Picture: Anggara Mahendra

But Astawa was optimistic about the end-of-year holidays. By then, he hoped, more countries would be granted entry as talks were “ongoing” to green-light tourism from Australia, Britain, Russia, and Turkey.

Those who test positive will be taken to special isolation hotels, but Astawa was certain that the “multiple health checks” meant that foreigners arriving in Bali would be “healthy”. He admitted that these filters would also ­ensure that those coming in would be “quality tourists”.

“Visitors to Bali must agree to comply with our health protocols and respect our nature and local traditions … Our culture should not be lost or eroded by undignified or trashy guests,” the tourism chief said, likening unruly tourists to “parasites”.

“And of course, we want tourists who are willing to spend more to enjoy their Bali experience … that will benefit local businesses, hotels, and restaurants.”

But after shelling out big bucks for quarantine – packages start at Rp 10 million ($950) for a five-day stay at a three star hotel – many are worried that tourists coming into Bali would be more prudent about spending for food and shopping.

An abandoned money changer in Kuta on Thursday. Picture: Anggara Mahendra

“Things will not be like they were before … But I’m hoping guests who come for longer stays, like those who come to work from Bali or live here for a few months, will contribute to our economy,” Made’s Warung’s Indra said.

Bali’s Deputy Governor, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana, who also heads the Bali Hotels and Restaurants Association, said there was a “high possibility” to discuss plans for quarantine-free visits to the islands.

“We need more concrete data and advice from health experts, but we are definitely headed there and will take it into consideration,” Cok Ace, as he’s known, said. “We won’t rush into that ­decision … we want to reopen tourism in a slow, steady and safe manner.”