plans of restarting foreign tourism in bali in april 2022 - health minister

A recent statement from Indonesia's Health Minister saying that it will take at least an year to restart the foreign tourism in Bali has received a major backlash. All the public figures and tourism players have raised their concerns over this statement regarding the economically-battered province. 

Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Health Minister of Indonesia shared that a timeline of reopening Bali to Foreign Tourists is set for April 2022. 

The current plan appears to involve a rigorous vaccination program and trial-runs on areas designated as “green zones,” which comprise Ubud, Nusa Dua, and Sanur.

“We will begin very soon. I have already met with the governor [to] prepare to make Bali the healthiest tourist destination. This requires time,” Budi said, as quoted by Tribun. 

“Ideally, Bali must be declared safe to visit after WHO and UNICEF agrees to conduct an international meeting in Bali,” he added, while emphasizing that reopening Bali must be done as carefully as possible, not merely quickly. 

The announcement from Budi came as the first indication of a expected timeline for reopening Bali following after Wayan Koster, Governor of Bali shared last week that "Ubud" "Nusa Dua" are designated Green Zone as a part of Covid-19 Free Corridor with "Covid-19 safe travel" strategy. 

This statement however didn't receive a positive response as the economy of Bali has been brutally battered by corona virus and many of the players quickly scrutinized the potential timeline.

“As a tourism player, we hope that Bali can open to [foreign] tourism this coming April or May. By making safe zones,” Putu Winastra, who is a member of the Indonesian Association of Tours and Travel (ASITA), said.

Niluh Djelantik, Balinese Politician and Designer shared the thoughts on the Instagram.

“Bali and other tourism-dependent regions are dying, minister. If you want to make a decision like this, it should be combined with real actions so that the economy in Bali can continue moving even if it’s slow. Such as free vaccines for domestic tourists,” Niluh wrote. 

It was explained by Koster that the tens of thousands who are currently residing and active in the green zone are going to be vaccinated as a part of the program, however the details are yet to be disclosed.

Epidemiologists have also warned against the feasibility of Bali’s planned green zones with the province’s current COVID-19 approach, saying that officials must achieve some important targets, including going at least two weeks without reporting any deaths, before even considering to relaunch mass tourism.