Bali is Indonesia’s flagship tourism destination. Travel and tourism leaders in Indonesia are looking to ensure that the province continues to grow as a globally acclaimed tourism destination and also evolves into a travel hub that connects West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.
As an archipelago nation, Indonesia offers tourists a rich and diverse cultural and geophysical landscape to explore. Over the last week, the Governors of Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) met to discuss how to develop tourism across the region.
Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster told reporters, “Bali, NTB, and NTT should not develop in isolation, but rather as a unified, complementary economic and tourism region.”
Speaking to reporters, the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, explained that the regional collaboration between Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara has grown from being a political alliance and is now focused on the benefits for the community and tourists.
He stated that this regional collaboration exemplifies a new kind of regionalism that is emerging across Indonesia to address national and global challenges.
Governor Iqbal explained, “This collaboration is no longer just talk. We are already seeing real impacts, including strengthened connectivity. The number of flight routes to and from NTB has increased from 18 to 27. This demonstrates that regional integration between Bali, NTB, and NTT is already underway and continues to grow.”
As part of the strategic meetings, the Governors signed an MoU covering five strategic areas, all of which are rooted in tourism optimization and levelling up the creative economy.
Here at The Bali Sun, we are passionate about Bali, but we are also lifelong travellers ourselves with a deep affection for the whole of Indonesia. From Aceh to Palau, from Labuan Bajo to Sumba, any chance we get to explore what this archipelago wants to reveal to us, we will take it and advise our readers to do the same.
As Bali adds a new role to its long list of national responsibilities, there is an incredible opportunity for both holidaymakers and hardcore travellers (and everyone in between) to create itineraries that stretch the imagination and maximise the value offered by the travel budget.
Indonesia’s national tourism board, Wonderful Indonesia, has been working to promote the five Super Priority Destinations for the last few years.
The 2-Week Island Hop
New connections now link Bali to “The New Balis.” Tap a card to plan your tri-island adventure.
BALI
Culture & Luxury
TAP TO REVEALMANDALIKA
Lombok’s Jewel
TAP TO REVEALLABUAN BAJO
Gateway to Komodo
TAP TO REVEALTHE CONNECTION
How to Move
TAP TO REVEALThese destinations have also been touted as the ‘five new Balis’, which are Lake Toba, Borobudur, Mandalika, Likupang, and Labuan Bajo.
For Bali tourists looking to add a little more adventure to their vacation, they should seriously consider adding one or more of these destinations to their itineraries.
Mandalika and Labuan Bajo are located within West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara, respectively. Mandalika is one of the most stunning areas of Lombok, and Labuan Bajo is famously the gateway to the magical Komodo National Park.
As the Bali Sun team, we are all in agreement that it is entirely possible to visit Bali, Mandalika, and Labuan Bajo during a two-week vacation.
There are now even better transport connections between these three iconic destinations, and with 4-5 nights in each, holidaymakers can tick off the bucket-list must-visit destinations while also having sufficient time to kick back, relax, and simply take in all that Wonderful Indonesia has to offer.
With this new MoU signed and seals tourists, travellers, and holidaymakers planning trips to Indonesia in 2026 will see more flight deals, hotel promotions, and tour packages that offer experiences across Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara. Our advice is simple; take every opportunity you get to experience these culturally rich and beautiful destinations, we certainly will be.
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Exp
Tuesday 3rd of February 2026
A travel hub? More like an extortion racket. It was reported recently that Emirates just replaced A380 with B777 from "capacity issues".
However, media is now reporting this was caused by a Indonesian authorities withholding Emirates operational permits for A380. Indonesian side demanding Emirates to fly to more destinations in Indonesia, add Indonesian crew and do maintenance in Indonesia.
"Director General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa (28/1/2026): The government is still withholding aircraft operating permits for A380 aircraft.
"That's why now I'm holding back, we haven't allowed three Airbus 380s in Bali. "Including the replacement of the Airbus 380 aircraft in Jakarta, we have not permitted it," said Lukman."
LINK
Shorty
Thursday 5th of February 2026
@Exp,
This maybe so but there's another valid explanation.
The passenger numbers don't support the larger 380 so they changed to the 777.
Steve bmi
Wednesday 4th of February 2026
@Exp, sounds about right