If you’ve spent the last two years craving a chill out session at one of Uluwatu’s clifftop infinity pools – or at very least, an ice cold Bintang at La Plancha in Seminyak – then today’s your lucky day. The Indonesian island of Bali has announced that they are officially opening their borders to tourists from all countries from February 4th.
The Tourism Minister of Indonesia, Sandiaga Uno, announced the exciting news last night. However, travel won’t be quite as easy as before. Prior to the pandemic, Australian’s were able to fly to Bali without a visa, and enter the country for up to 30 days visa free.
Under the new rules, Australian’s (and tourists from elsewhere in the world) will be required to quarantine for five days if they’re fully vaccinated, and seven days if they’re not.
While the quarantine period may seem like a bit of a roadblock, it’s actually a relaxation from the current rules. Prior to this Friday, any international travellers were required to fly into Jakarta and quarantine there before taking a domestic flight to Bali. The length of quarantine has fluctuated a lot, but has recently been between seven and ten days.
Bali’s international airport has been closed since April 2020, apart from a few exceptions. The Bali Sun has reported that Garuda Indonesia airline will resume direct flights between Narita (Japan) and Bali, and that Singapore Airlines will resume daily flights to Bali by February 16. The publication said that more airlines are expected to resume direct flights, especially as demand grows.
As of now, the visa requirement for Australians to enter the country is yet to be made public.
Despite the lengthy closure, Indonesian born Tiwisanti Urquhart-Stewart, who is based between London and Bali and has been living on the island for the past two years, shares that most things are still open and the attitude of those based there is generally positive.
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“Of course, it’s really sad to see the effect that the dramatic drop in tourism has had on the locals that work in the industry. However, some of the locals in tourists areas have found a way to adapt, and there are still lots of expats supporting local businesses. The popular tourist areas, like Canggu, Seminyak, Ubud and Uluwatu are pretty busy and 80% of the cafes and bars are open. Canggu is absolutely buzzing, there is people everywhere!” Urquhart-Stewart told The Brag.
“It actually feels like ‘old’ Bali, it’s a lot calmer here and the reduced traffic makes a huge difference. It takes about a quarter of the time to drive from anywhere on the island than it did before COVID. I can get from Kuta to Uluwatu in 30 minutes in a car!”
“The tourist area that seems to be hit the hardest is Kuta though, everything is deserted there. But, in general the vibe of the island is happy and the locals are very excited for the Aussies to come back,” she said.
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