As the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East continues to cast a shadow over the global travel sector, Bali is surprisingly seeing an increase in arrivals.
As global travel experts prepare for a decline in tourism, particularly in the leisure sector, Bali is showing the world that nothing can keep tourists from pursuing their vacation dreams.
Bali is TripAdvisor’s Best Destination in the World for 2026, just one of the reasons the province expects to welcome more than 7.5 million international tourists this year.
Newly published travel data shows that travel to Bali has increased 10% on 2025 during the first quarter of the year. As the peak seasons approach, holidaymaker arrivals into Bali show no sign of slowing down.
New travel figures published by I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport show that arrival numbers continue to increase. From January to April 2026, the number of passengers crossing the airport exceeded 4.5 million, which is a more than 10 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. Speaking to reporters, the Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, said the figures demonstrate Bali’s continued ‘dominance’ as a major draw for international tourists.
He shared, “As Bali’s main gateway for international tourists, the quality of immigration services is a crucial factor in supporting the tourism climate in Bali. In recent years, the flow of people crossing the border, both Indonesian citizens and foreigners, has shown a significant upward trend.” Kurniawan also cited improvements to Immigration services as another boost to arrival numbers.
He explained that geopolitical tensions could pose issues for Bali and other top destinations in Indonesia, but that even with flight cancellations in March and early April due to the conflict, arrival numbers continued to rise.
Kurniawan shared, “We have been monitoring and monitoring this situation intensively until the latest developments on April 15, 2026, when the ITKT facility was discontinued, and overstay fees were waived at zero rupiah for affected foreign nationals as part of the Directorate General of Immigration’s strategic policy.” The ITKT is the emergency stay permit policy enacted to support foreigners stranded in Indonesia, especially in Bali, in light of airspace closures in the Middle East.
Kurniawan reiterated his commitment to improving services for passengers travelling in and out of Bali Airport. He shared that services can be improved in collaboration with airport stakeholders, such as Angkasa Pura (InJourney), CIQ (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine), the Airport Authority (Otban), and active communication with foreign representatives. He noted that technology utilization is also being increased to expedite screening and enhance passenger comfort across terminals.
He shared, “We are also encouraging the optimization of technology-based facilities such as autogates, the Online Indonesia application, and e-visa services to expedite the inspection process and improve convenience for foreign tourists.”
It is not just arrival data for the first quarter of 2026 that has been released this week, but immigration and deportation data too.
The Ngurah Rai Class I Special Immigration Office at Bali Airport has tightened its surveillance of foreign nationals (WNA) in Bali throughout the last four months. From January to April 2026, immigration issued 334 administrative immigration actions (TAK) to foreign nationals violating immigration regulations.
Kurniawan explained that administrative immigration actions included deterrence, aka blacklisting, revocation of stay permits, detention, and deportation.
He explained, “From January to April 2026, the implementation of immigration administrative actions (TAK) included 91 deterrents, 30 residence permit revocations, 101 detentions, 25 of which were transferred to the Denpasar Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim), and 112 deportations.”
He noted, “In Bali, it’s not just tourism that’s of interest, but also violations and crimes committed by foreign visitors. Here, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office continues to act as an immigration law enforcer.” Adding “We have followed up on many viral videos that have resulted in deportations and travel bans.”
He called on the public to play an active role in reporting suspected immigration violations, concluding “If you also have information related to immigration, whether it’s related to violations committed by foreigners or public input on improving immigration duties and functions, especially those carried out by all immigration officials in Bali, including the Regional Office, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, the Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim), the Denpasar Immigration Office, Singaraja, Klungkung, and Tabanan, please share it.”
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