Bali Looks Beyond Traditional Markets as Travel Patterns Shift

Bali’s tourism industry is discussing how to reduce its reliance on routes via the Middle East after recent disruptions to international flights. One of the key takeaways is that the island needs to diversify inbound tourism more broadly: work more actively with India and China, maintain strong positions in the Australian market, and secure more direct flights, especially with Japan.

After cancellations and disruptions on flights to and from Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the immigration service issued hundreds of permits for forced extensions of stay and reported that disruptions in Bali affected around 11,600 foreigners. This highlighted how sensitive the island is to routes that depend on transit through a conflict zone.

At the same time, overall tourist traffic remains high. In 2025, Bali welcomed 6.94 million international visitors — a 9.72% increase compared to the previous year. Australia remained the top source market, contributing more than 1.6 million arrivals. India ranked second with over 569,000 visitors, followed by China in third place with more than 537,000. Notably, arrivals from China, South Korea, and Japan showed significant growth compared to 2024.

One of the main priorities, market participants say, is to expand direct air links with Japan. At present, the Bali–Japan direct route is effectively served only by Garuda Indonesia. In case of new crises, the industry is also proposing to make greater use of alternative transit hubs—via Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Turkey.

The focus is not only on geography, but also on the tourism offering itself. Proposals include promoting cultural routes more strongly, villages, specialised types of holidays and sports tourism, as well as developing the cruise sector. In 2025, 65 cruise ships called at Benoa, bringing a total of around 140,000 foreign tourists, and 73 calls have already been registered for 2026. For Bali, this is a way to be less dependent on air travel while also attracting a higher-spending audience.

Source: bali.antaranews.com