encourage more aussie tourists in bali - tourism minister visits australia

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno will visit Australia from July 6-12 with the aim of boosting tourism in Bali by encouraging Australians to visit the Island of the Gods.

“We are planning a visit to Australia. This will be my first official visit since I started serving at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy,” Sandiaga said yesterday.

Australians are generally the best travelers to Bali - backed up by cheap flights and very competitively priced tourist attractions, from nightclubs to beaches. Since Bali began to gradually reopen its international airport to international flights, Australians have started flocking to Bali to satisfy their pent-up wanderlust.

"We see that Australia is still a potential market to increase tourist visits [with] Bali as the main destination. But of course there are other destinations that we have prepared," added the finance minister.

This year, Indonesia is aiming for between 1.8 and 3.6 million tourist visits. According to the ministry, 15,000 travelers arrived in Bali in 2022 last week on a visa on arrival (VOA). Most of them are from Australia, Singapore, USA, France and UK.

Currently, only 42 countries are eligible for VOA entry.

A publication claims that the arrival of tourists from below, in particular, has helped revive Bali's economy.

Separately, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams has confirmed that many Australians want to return to Bali as the island is officially reopened to tourists.