Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali is one of the busiest terminals in Indonesia. Millions of passengers pass through it annually. And 2024 has been the best year for tourism since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
Comparative travel statistics indicate that in January 2020, more than 1.2 million tourists arrived in Bali. In 2021, the number of island visitors decreased due to the epidemic to 126,000 people. However, in January 2024 alone, 927,750 people passed through the Bali airport.
The island is slowly but surely returning to its pre-pandemic state. And although many vacationers feel that the place has become more lively, in reality, the number of tourists is still less than before the onset of quarantine restrictions.
In January, the largest number of international arrivals came from Malaysia, accounting for 16% of all arrivals in Bali. They were followed by Australians (13%). Singaporeans ranked third, comprising 9% of all international visits.
As expected, 83.15% of foreign tourists arrived in Indonesia by plane, 14.03% by sea, and 2.83% via land borders.
One quite interesting statistic published by the Central Statistics Agency concerns the volume of baggage processed at the airport. It seems that Bali enthusiasts do not strive to travel light. The volume of baggage and goods transported from Ngurah Rai terminal in January 2024 was recorded at 8,549 tons, which is 7.81% more than the amount of baggage and cargo transported in December 2023.
Most of the personal belongings and goods transported on international flights from Bali were delivered to Australia, totaling 2,651 tons. They were followed by Singapore with 1,391 tons, Qatar with 744 tons, the UAE with 699 tons, and Malaysia with 648 tons.
Clearly, January 2024 turned out to be the busiest month in terms of visits in the last four years, despite it being the beginning of the low season. This is encouraging news for Bali, a resort that is still trying to recover from the losses incurred due to COVID-19.
On average, international tourists arriving in Indonesia in January 2024 spent 7.93 nights here. Tourists from the Southeast Asian region typically stayed for three nights, while guests from Africa stayed for over two weeks.
Indonesia as a holiday destination offers a place where tourists can return again and again. Tourists can explore completely new aspects of the island, moving from the southern coast to the north. There they will find amazing places such as Lovina and Munduk with their picturesque views, Amed and Tulamben in the east, and Menjangan in the west, which offer excellent diving spots.
Bali's leadership wants to return to discussing the creation of a terminal in the north of the island. Plans, first presented in 2015, show that this location will be able to accommodate up to 32 million passengers annually, significantly exceeding the current capacity of the international terminal in the south. It could quickly become the second-largest arrival point in Indonesia, second only to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.
Additionally, the island authorities are working on reducing the time it takes to pass through immigration at Denpasar Airport. Thanks to autogates, crossing the border now takes only 15-20 seconds. The only thing is, you'll have to wait for your luggage.
Sources: www.idntimes.com, news.republika.co
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