Stinging for a Bintang? A trip to Bali could be possible before the end of the year.
A couple of weeks ago my partner and I were discussing how any upcoming holiday plans would be limited to visiting the ‘rents in either Perth or Sydney, or taking a trip across the Tasman. Though, I joked, NZ is probably going to fill up with upper middle bogans in Bintang singlets and zinc cream. So, it might be best to steer clear.
However, it looks like these folks mightn’t need to settle for imagined bliss in Windy Wellington. The Indonesian government has flagged October as a possible date for reopening the holiday island of Bali to tourists. Of course, Bali is a true favourite for Aussies who’re keen to cross an ocean in order to get shitfaced and sunburnt.
The number of coronavirus cases in Bali remain impressively low. The island province – Indonesia’s main tourist destination – has seen a total of 343 cases and four deaths as a result of COVID-19. If such effective suppression continues, the Indonesian government plans to carry out a promotional campaign for Bali between June and October. The proposed October reopening might also include the city of Yogyakarta and the Riau Islands province.
It’s interesting to note that while Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia – the country’s home to approximately 225 million Muslims – the government doesn’t enforce the same sort of restrictions on alcohol as Saudi Arabia and Iran. The tourism dollar (or rupiah) constitutes a significant part of the Indonesian economy, and they wouldn’t want to put off fiendish Aussie drinkers with an alcohol ban.
That said, however, Lonely Planet reports that the nightlife options are limited or non-existent outside of the major cities and tourist destinations, and that “alcohol can be hard to find” in these regions.
Check out ‘Indonesian Beer Review’ by Real Ale Craft Beer:
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