Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport has released its flight data for May 2022. The airport experiences a 64% increase in passengers, welcoming over one million travelers through the terminal during the month. Ngurah Rai airport is the main port of entry for both domestic and international travelers. The official figures shared by the airport’s management team show that 1,006,663 passengers were served across 7,002 flights in May.
Domestic travelers made up the vast majority of airport arrivals in May 2022. A total of 772,116 people were welcomed into the domestic terminal building. Although domestic arrivals accounted for almost three-quarters of all arrivals, it was international arrivals that saw the biggest leap in figures.
International arrivals increased by 107% from April to May 2022. Nearly a quarter of a million international travelers arrived in Bali and it is thought that this huge spike in arrivals can be attributed to the recent relaxation in Covid-19 related restrictions.
On 17th May Bali announced that the pre-arrival PCR test for fully vaccinated travelers was removed. Officials also relaxed the rules around wearing masks in outdoor public settings. The central government also extended the visa on arrival program to include 72 countries.
The rise in the number of international arrivals can also be explained by the resumption of budget airline flight schedules to Bali. In May airline giants Emirates returned to the runway at Ngurah Rai for the first time in two years, connecting travelers from the Middle East to Bali with ease. AirAsia resumed its flight schedule from Perth to Bali in mid-May and VietJet relaunched its Bali to Ho Chi Minh flight service too.
In a press release confirming the latest data, the General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Handy Heryudhitiawan said ‘According to the current regulations, for both domestic and international passengers, there is no longer a requirement for Covid-19 test results for those who have taken booster vaccines or complete vaccines. This certainly makes it easier for people who will travel by air’.
The greatest number of domestic travelers are heading to Bali from Jakarta. Even in pre-pandemic times, the majority of domestic arrivals in Bali came from Jakarta, followed by Surabaya and Makassar. In terms of international arrivals in Bali, the majority of arrivals in May came from Singapore, closely followed by Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur.
The data differentiates between where passengers departed from and their nationality. So although the 92,928 passengers arrived from Singapore making it the top departure point for Bali arrivals, Australians once again topped the list with the highest number of foreign arrivals in Bali.
A total of 48,000 Australians arrived in Bali in May. Closely followed by 15,341 passengers from the United Kingdom and 14,932 travelers from India.
Typically Australian travelers make up over a quarter of Bali’s annual international arrivals. In 2019 Bali welcomed 6.28 million international arrives which was its biggest year for tourism since records began. Bali tourism’s high season is usually July and August.
This coincides with the long school holidays. Australia and the summer holidays in the northern hemisphere. The 2022 peak season is guaranteed to be better than 2020 and 2021 combined, though whether arrival numbers will surpass the 2019 record remains to be seen.
As travelers return to Bali en masse the tourism sector is working hard to ensure that travelers have an enjoyable time. Local authorities and the central government are balancing relating restrictions and keeping community transmission rates for Covid-19 clinically under control. On 8th June Bali was moved to PPKM Level One, the lowest restriction level in Indonesia.
The mandate allows the retail sector to operate at 100% capacity, although people must still wear masks in indoor settings and on public transport. Officials are closely monitoring caseloads and are hopeful that the end of restrictions is in sight.
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Randy
Monday 13th of June 2022
To quote: "On 17th May Bali announced that the pre-arrival PCR test for fully vaccinated travelers was removed. Officials also relaxed the rules around wearing masks in outdoor public settings." Nobody wears masks indoors especially in enclosed retail spaces (such a shame), nobody couldn't careless anymore. And although most of Bali's building infrastructure designs are pretty much an open air space, there is every reason to ignore the indoor mask mandate.
Wayan Bo
Sunday 12th of June 2022
Those expat’s who made Bali famous starting in 1980’s and earlier should be highly honored.
Randy
Monday 13th of June 2022
@Wayan Bo, by the way, as more expats settled in Bali, gentrification (including price gauging) in certain areas are becoming visible. Nothing to be called highly honorable.
Randy
Monday 13th of June 2022
@Wayan Bo, Bali has already been in stone way before you were born. Historically during the glorified Dutch colonial time, it was a place where the former colonial families took their holidays out of curiosity. There is nothing to be called highly honored today, it is actually a poor choice of words.