The Indonesian island of Bali is set to reopen to foreign tourists on October 14, confirmed Indonesia’s senior cabinet minister on Monday.
The popular tourist spot will open up to visitors from a select group of countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, New Zealand, and Japan.
Although Bali and Java are under a partial curfew until October 18, Bali Ngurah Rai Foreign Terminal will begin accepting tourists on October 14, bypassing Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
“Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport will be reopened by October 14th as long as it meets several Covid-19 prevention requirements such as proper quarantine protocols, sufficient testing, and of course sanitization,” said the minister at a press conference on Monday.
The logistics for the reopening have yet to be specified.
Thus far, the government has revealed travelers will be required to present proof of a hotel room reservation, where they must spend an 8-day mandatory quarantine at their own expense, as well as proof of a negative PCR test.
The list of accepted accommodations has not been revealed and it’s unclear whether Bali will separate residents from tourists or if the latter will be allowed to freely tour the island.
“We still have several things to consider before finalizing this policy on October 14th such as testing methods, quarantine details, and determining the countries that will have access to the island apart from the international tourists, businessmen/women, and ex-pats,” said the Tourism and Creative Economy Minister at a press conference.
The good news is that Bali has accelerated its Covid-19 vaccination drive as one of the key preparations for reopening its tourism sector.
To date, Bali has vaccinated more than 50% of its eligible population – the highest rate in Indonesia -, including most people from the hospitality sector.
Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous country, has reported more than 4.2 million Covid-19 cases with 142,261 deaths.
In the last few weeks, it has also recorded a sharp drop in cases after peaking in mid-July.