Bali to open to vaccinated tourists – but there's a catch
Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali is reopening its doors to all vaccinated tourists from Friday.
That means Australians will be able to return to the popular holiday destination three months after being shut out — but there is a catch.
All travellers who arrive in Bali, even those who are fully vaccinated, must quarantine for five days.
Anyone who has had one shot of the Covid vaccine must undergo a seven-day quarantine, Luhut Panjaitan, a senior minister who oversees the government’s pandemic response, said on Monday following the announcement.
He said Bali provides two options for quarantining tourists, including five star hotels and onboard approved ships, local publications report.
Mr Panjaitan said welcoming tourists back to the holiday destination will provide a much-needed boost for the area’s economy, “which has been quite affected by this pandemic”.
Known for its surfing, temples, waterfalls and nightlife, Bali drew 6.2 million foreign visitors in 2019, but tight pandemic border restrictions devastated tourism, which is usually worth 54 per cent of its economy.
In mid-October, Bali opened to selected countries including China, New Zealand and Japan, but there has since been no direct flights, Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said on Monday.
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Jetstar and Qantas to resume flights to Bali
Singapore Airlines said on Friday it would resume flights to Bali from Singapore starting on February 16.
Jetstar will resume flights between Melbourne and Denpasar from February 14, the Executive Traveller reports.
In March, the airline will resume its direct flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Qantas will resume its flights to Denpasar from Sydney and Melbourne later the same month.
Indonesia’s decision comes despite a steady rise in the country’s Covid-19 cases. Health authorities have attributed the increase to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said last week that the next few months will be “critical”.
With Reuters
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