Bali Airport has released fresh statistics on the number of passengers who arrived on the island in April. As expected, the number of tourists is growing and will continue to increase since the peak season is still ahead. This means that Bali has every chance to welcome even more guests this year than in the best years before the pandemic.
In April alone, Ngurah Rai Airport served 1,940,828 people. Of these, 1,109,958 were international passengers and 830,870 were domestic passengers. This figure is 19% higher compared to March 2024, when 1,627,730 passengers were recorded.
The airport's General Manager, Handy Heryudhitiawan, believes that this growth was influenced by public holidays, such as Eid al-Fitr, and the annual vacations of millions of Indonesian tourists, which took place from April 8 to 15, 2024. According to him, during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, there was not only an increase in the number of passengers but also an 11 percent increase in the number of aircraft flights.
The busiest domestic routes in April were Jakarta - Denpasar (383,227 passengers), Surabaya - Denpasar (134,692 passengers), and Makassar - Denpasar (45,950 passengers).
As for international routes, most tourists arrived from Kuala Lumpur (139,913 people), followed by Perth, Australia (80,076 people), and Melbourne (77,461 people).
Another reason for the increase in passenger traffic in April was the launch of an additional route from Samarinda (East Kalimantan) to Denpasar by Super Air Jet. This flight is now operated four times a week.
April was the busiest month in 2024 for Bali Airport, although the figures for May 2024, when released, are likely to surpass those of April. The number of delegates and visitors to the World Water Forum, which was held in Bali from May 18 to 25, is estimated to exceed 35,000 people. Additionally, the number of arrivals traditionally increases in May in anticipation of the high season.
Bali's popularity is also growing among European tourists. For instance, according to the Bali Sales and Marketing Community (BASACOMM), the number of visitors from Germany to the Indonesian island is expected to increase by 14.23% in 2024. This number could become even higher if the government and airlines support the trend and offer more direct flights connecting Europe and Bali. In that case, the number of such guests could be comparable to that of Australian travelers. However, many are still deterred by the high cost of tickets.
The Central Statistics Agency of Bali (BPS-Bali) provides the following Top 5 countries from which the most tourists arrived in March 2024:
- Australia - 113,949 people
- India - 41,690 people
- China - 29,671 people
- United Kingdom - 24,114 people
- United States - 23,417 people
Tourists from Russia are among the laggards in this statistic. From January to April, 51,000 Russians arrived in Bali, averaging 17,000 people per month. However, Indonesian authorities believe that this number could be higher.
Indonesian authorities believe that there could be even more visitors from Russia, especially with the potential launch of direct flights. Additionally, they hope that Russians will consider other islands and regions of the country for their holidays, not just Bali. This was stated by the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, Jose Tavares.
"In 2023, about 161,000 Russians entered Indonesia, and almost half of them took advantage of the opportunity to extend their 30-day visa by another 30 days. I am confident that there will be more guests from Russia this year, as we see huge potential in the Russian market. Over the past year, the tourist flow has grown by 15%," he said.
Among other tourist destinations that the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia would like to offer Russians are Yogyakarta in Central Java, Lake Toba in Sumatra, Labuan Bajo, the Komodo Islands, Flores, and other places that are just as beautiful and interesting as Bali. According to him, these regions are already ready to receive a large number of tourists.
Currently, Bali remains the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, which local authorities see as both an advantage and a disadvantage. On one hand, it brings investments and economic development; on the other hand, it leads to large-scale, chaotic construction. To avoid the negative consequences of such popularity, they want to grant Bali the status of a special autonomous zone for tourism. This would mean that all decisions regarding further development and construction would be made by a single body in accordance with a unified concept.
At present, hotels and resorts receive permits from various agencies depending on the scale of the accommodation facility. However, the agencies that issue the licenses do not consult with each other and do not have a common database. Therefore, controlling construction and regulating the distribution of tourists across the island is quite challenging.
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