In 2021, only 45 tourists came to Bali

Friday, December 17, 2021

All over the world, the pandemic situation has changed tourism industries for ever. In particular, one tropical island has witnessed a shift this past year. Bali for the first time in 2021 has received a record low number of international tourists.

Between January and October 2021, a shockingly low 45 international tourists visited the island, as per CNN data. “That is the lowest number of foreign tourist visits we’ve ever recorded,” Nyoman Gede Gunadika, section head of tourism for Bali Province, told CNN.

In March 2020, Bali first closed its borders to all foreign tourists. Only recently it reopened its doors on October 2021. As per Insider report, the drop in numbers in 2021 is compared to six million tourists that visited Bali in 2019 and the one million that turned up in 2020.

Even though much of Bali’s economy is tourism dependent, to fight the pandemic, officials made it extremely tough to travel to the island. Tourist visas that were typically free for the starters weren’t made available. As a result, visitors had to pay $295 for an e-visa. Also, tourists would have to buy their own health insurance, take multiple PCR tests, and quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, which could cost tourists an extra $1000, as per Bali Tourism Board.

Now, the island is planning to spend around $275 million on 108 new infrastructure projects this year. This would save its tourism industry.

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