Awaiting the Return of Dollars to Renvigorate Bali

Bali reopened to foreign arrivals on Thursday (14/10) in the latest pandemic-related tourism-recovery measures. The traders at the market are hopeful that difficult times will be over soon.

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

Deciduous trees on Kuta Beach, Bali, Monday (11/10/2021). Tourism in Bali has begun to thrive after being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 cases which are starting to decline and are under control have made people dare to come to Bali.

After almost two years in hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bali reopened to foreign arrivals on Thursday (14/10) in the latest pandemic-related tourism-recovery measures.

The reopening plans had previously been arranged twice but had fallen through, which had led to a degree of public skepticism.

“I am glad to learn that the government will open Bali to foreign tourists. Hopefully, we are not being promised a false hope," said Ni Wayan Sumiyati, 47, a clothing trader at Ubud Market in Gianyar, Bali, on Wednesday (13/10), the day before the island finally did reopen.

The previous reopening plan in July was marked by the designation of three green zones, namely Ubud in Gianyar regency; Sanur in Denpasar municipality; and Nusa Dua in Badung regency. Those three were referred to as Covid-19-free corridors.

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However, the plan was canceled due to an explosion in the Covid-19 caseload, which resulted in the implementation of public activity restrictions (PPKM).

Such a setback was not unprecedented given that the previous plan in September 2020 had also fallen short.

The latest plan, which has been brought to realization, was announced through the Covid-19 task force’s circular letter No. 20/2021 concerning international travel health protocols during the pandemic, which was issued on Wednesday (13/10). It stated that airports in Bali and Riau Islands could reopen for international flights, including tourist trips, as of Thursday.

The reopening of Bali was set in motion by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the communication forum for all Bali regional leaders at the governor's office in Denpasar on Friday (8/10).

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

The atmosphere around Kuta Beach, Badung, Bali, Thursday (29/7/2021). Access to the beach is closed due to the implementation of community activity restrictions (PPKM). The tourism sector in Bali has slumped due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The President said that the government would accept foreign tourists from a number of countries that had been able to control the Covid-19 pandemic within their territories and which had implemented a travel bubble mechanism with Indonesia.

The reopening’s initial stage, as Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan revealed last Monday, would allow visits from 18 countries.

Those countries were regarded as having improved their Covid-19 pandemic cases to the status of level 1 or 2 with a positivity rate below 5 percent in reference to the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In a written statement that followed on Wednesday (13/10), the number of countries increased to 19.

Trickling light of hope

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on tourism. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported that the decline in world tourism during 2020 amounted to 11 times the value of losses recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The number of international arrivals fell 74 percent, by about 1 billion people.

Data from Statistics Indonesia show the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia in 2020 was only 4.02 million, down by 75.03 percent compared with 2019, which recorded 16.1 million (Kompas, 2/3/2021).

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The sluggish state of tourism is evident in Bali, which was visited by an average of 6.5 million foreign tourists before the pandemic.

In the last two years, it has gone through difficult times and suffered greatly in economic and social terms.

Foreign currencies, especially the US dollar, which were previously converted into local revenue in the regencies and municipalities, have dropped drastically.

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

.Tourists enjoy Kuta Beach, Bali, before sunset, Monday (11/10/2021). The stretch of tourism in Bali began to be felt after it was stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Domestic tourists dominate visits to Bali

Tourist locations like Kuta have become like dead cities. Restaurants, cafes and gift shops are completely closed and the streets are deserted.

As is the Kintamani area in Bangli, as well as rice field-terraced Tegallalang in Gianyar. Locations that used to be crowded now appear neglected and overgrown.

Skepticism apart, the reopening of Bali has been welcomed hopefully. On Thursday (14/10) no passengers or international flights had yet arrived in Bali.

Taufan Yudhistira, PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport’s stakeholder relations manager, said that he had yet to receive information on flight schedules to Bali.

"Until now [Thursday], no airline has submitted a flight schedule to Bali. We also haven't received the latest regulations on international flight arrangements, although there has been a circular letter from the Covid-19 task force, which states that the airport in Bali is back as an entry point," Taufan said.

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Angkasa Pura I is providing incentives in the form of discounted landing fees for flights by foreign and domestic airlines that carry international passengers to Bali.

The first day’s sluggish reopening did not reduce the enthusiasm among tourism operators. Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) deputy chairman I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya said hotels were enthusiastic about welcoming the reopening of international visits.

“In this initial stage, 35 hotels are ready to receive guests for quarantine. There are 62 other hotels that have submitted their readiness to provide quarantine," he said.

Now that Bali has reopened, Sumiyati and fellow traders at the market are hopeful that difficult times will be over soon.

The article was translated by Musthofid.