Bali Tourists Arrivals Down, But Hotel Occupancy Is Up? ‘Contradictory’ Tourism Situation Explained 

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It’s colder than usual, the rupiah is dropping, it’s the beginning of the high season, but it’s not feeling super busy… what is happening to Bali this week?

The Bali Central Statistics Agency has been talking to the media about all the latest travel data, and it makes for very interesting reading. We here at The Bali Sun are here to break it all down for tourists, travelers, and international residents in Bali. 

Speaking to the media in Denpasar this week, the Head of the Bali Statistics Agency (BPS) Agus Gede Hendrayana Hermawan discussed the increase in hotel occupancy rates amid a decline in foreign tourists in April 2026 in Denpasar. April is always considered an important month for tourism in Bali, as it marks the end of the first quarter of the year and comes just before the peak travel season. April sets the tone for the rest of the year.

With the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East impacting travel and travelers’ decisions, as well as the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar, everything feels a little up and down right now, which can bring benefits to tourists and holiday makers if they play their cards right. 

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Hermawan told reporters that the BPS found a data anomaly in April 2026, namely that the number of foreign tourist visits decreased, but the occupancy rate of hotels increased.

He told reporters, “This is somewhat contradictory. Foreign tourists have decreased, but the TPK [hotel occupancy] has increased. Usually, April tends to see an increase, if we look at the TPK figures for the past two years. However, this time it’s an anomaly because foreign tourists have decreased.”

Hermawan also confirmed that the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali in April 2026 was 553,328 visits. Compared to March 2026, this is an increase of 17%, but compared to the same month the previous year, it was recorded as having decreased by 6.4%.

As ever, Australian passport holders dominated visits in one month with 146,414 visits or an increase of 22.24 percent, followed by India with 46,513 visits or an increase of 9.5%, China with 44,447 visits or an increase of 36.7%, the United Kingdom with 24,248 visits or an increase of 0.1%, and the United States with 23,986 visits or an increase of 4.2%

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Hermawan told reporters, “As many as 26.46 percent of foreign tourists who visited Bali last April were from or held Australian passports, 8.41 percent were from India, 8.03 percent were from China, 4.38 percent were from the UK, and 4.33 percent were from the United States.”

He noted that hotel occupancy usually increases in line with visits, but what is currently being found is a spike in the hotel occupancy rates amid a year-on-year decline in foreign tourists.

Hermawan explains, “For April 2026, BPS Bali observed that the ROR for star-rated hotels reached 57.94 percent, an increase of 0.71 percentage points compared to April 2025.”

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“This contrasts somewhat with the ROR for foreign tourists, where the ROR for non-star-rated hotels reached 34.81 percent, an increase of 1.49 percentage points.”

The BPS Bali has also seen foreign tourist visits from January to April 2026 lower than those from January to April 2025. This year, the total was 2,019,892 visits, while last year’s was 2,042,666 visits, or a decrease of 1.11 percent. 

What does all this mean for tourists? It means that Bali is feeling a little less crowded than this time last year, which means that now is the perfect time to snap up a last-minute vacation deal, whether that be on flights, hotels, resorts, or private villa rentals.

With the rupiah weakening, it also means that the vacation budget goes further, and with the Ministry of Tourism sharing that visa-free travel could return for Australians and New Zealanders, everything is looking up for Bali tourists in 2026.