The tourist island of Bali open to tourism from mid-October, but before you get packing, not only is it to a limited degree, but comes with more than a few caveats.
When will Bali open to tourism?
According to the announcement some international flights will be resumed to the island. So far South Korea, China, Japan and New Zealand from 14th October 2021, but the final list has not been finalised.
Guests that do make it to the island must be vaccinated, as well as undergo eight days of quarantine at their own expense. This down from the 14 days it was previously. The move is being done to help rejuvenate the battered tourist economy of the island.
So, everyone is going to Bali then?
In short, no they are probably not. Thailand opened its borders in July under its “sandbox scheme”, which has been largely seen as a failure, with 37,000 arrivals instead of the anticipated 100,000.
The new Bali scheme is so far aimed at countries that are largely not letting people leave, such as China (link to KN), as well as still requiring people to undergo eight days of quarantine at their own expense.
For context this would mean a Chinese guest coming to Bali, doing eight days of quarantine, spending a week in Bali and then a further two weeks quarantine on return to China. Not viable for your average tourist.
How can countries reopen to tourism?
If countries want to reopen to tourism and actually have it be successful then it means opening fully to vaccinated guests from green list countries, without quarantine and without handpicking nations that are unlikely to travel.
In essence all the Bali scheme will do currently is perhaps offer an opportunity for people bored of Thailand, or Cambodia to go stay for the next few months. Expect take-up of this reopening to be slow, unless major changes are made.
To read about which countries are open to tourism click here.
About Post Author
