TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali from January to April 2023 nearly reach the number before the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April, the Bali Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded 1,437,740 foreign nationals visiting the island.

Back in 2019, BPS Bali recorded 1,819,644 foreign tourists, while during the pandemic of 2020-2022, the number did not reach 100,000.

“It's still below [the pre-pandemic level], less than 400,000 visits but in general, it has increased closer to [the visit in] 2019,” said BPS Bali Statistician I Made Agus Adnyana on Monday, June 5, 2023.

According to Agus, the surge in tourist arrivals number has occurred in the last two months and is attributable to several factors. Among them are the rising number of airlines and those related to the country of origin.

The top five countries dominating foreign tourist arrivals in Bali in April 2023 alone were Australia, India, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The number of visits from the five countries also saw a hike.

In detail, Australia made 102,737 visits, up by 14.43 percent compared to last month and India made 35,854 visits, or an increase of 27.29 percent. “[The number of tourist arrivals from] China, the UK, and the US increased by 95.79 percent, 15.61 percent, and 9.27 percent, respectively. Indeed, the highest surge is from China in April,” Agus outlined.

When compared month to month, the April number of foreign tourist arrivals is the highest throughout 2023, with an increase of 11.01 percent from March. They mostly entered the island by air through I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport with a total of 410,281 visits and by sea with 1,229 visits.

On this basis, BPS Bali is optimistic that foreign tourist arrivals can catch up to the pre-pandemic level, where in 2019 the number amounted to 4,455,546. Moreover, the surge in foreign tourist arrivals usually occurs from July to December.

ANTARA

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