ngurah rai airport should be open for international flights - bali vice governor

Bali's vice governor expressed dissatisfaction with the central government's decision to bar international arrivals from Ngurah Rai International Airport.

According to a Transportation Ministry circular issued earlier this week, only two airports have been designated as the two entry points for international arrivals via air travel: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang and Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi. The move followed the government's relaxation of its border restriction last week.

Ngurah Rai, according to Bali Vice Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, or Cok Ace, should have been considered as one of the country's international gateways right away.

“Bali [should] be classified as an important arrival [place] because [the Ngurah Rai airport] has followed the protocols,” Cok Ace stated yesterday.

In recent weeks, there has been much speculation about Bali closing its doors to international tourists, with one proposal being to turn the island into a "tourism sandbox" modelled after Thailand's Phuket.

Cok Ace expressed hope that the central government will reconsider its decision and designate Bali as a quarantine destination for international travelers, which would help the island's struggling tourism business.