“Tourist visits remain strong and stable. However, we are still monitoring the global situation ahead,” head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, I Wayan Sumarajaya, said here on Wednesday.
While acknowledging that there has been no massive impact on tourism yet, he emphasized that the government will continue to closely watch the situation in the Middle East, which remains volatile.
The government's caution follows Qatar Airways canceling a direct flight from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to Doha, Qatar, which was scheduled for 7:20 p.m. local time (GMT+8) on Tuesday.
The flight was canceled due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following the Iran-Israel conflict.
The Middle East routes, including Doha (Qatar), Dubai (United Arab Emirates/UAE), and Abu Dhabi (UAE), are major transit hubs for travelers, especially from Europe, en route to Bali.
As an alternative, European tourists can take direct flights to Bali from Istanbul, Turkey.
Despite the geopolitical concerns, Bali’s tourism sector has shown robust growth. According to the Bali Provincial Statistics Agency, foreign tourist arrivals in Bali crossed two million in the period from January to April 2025, marking a 10.55 percent increase year on year (yoy).
During the period, Australia, India, and China emerged as the top three tourism origin countries.
In April alone, Bali welcomed 587 thousand foreign tourists, including about 140 thousand tourists from Australia, 50 thousand from India, 45 thousand from China, 32 thousand from the United Kingdom, and 26 thousand from France.
The management of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali Airport reported that currently, there are 52 airlines operating on the island, with 46 serving international routes.
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Translator: Uyu Septiyati Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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