Cruise Travel To Bali Is Proving A Hit With International Tourists 

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Cruise travel in Bali is becoming increasingly popular. As leaders in the province and within the central government are committing more funds to help develop cruise and maritime tourism, travellers heading to Bali in the next five years have a whole new world of aquatic adventures to explore. 

The Buleleng Regency Government, who oversee destinations such as Lovina Beach, Munduk, and Pemuteran, has been working to develop North Bali as a cruise destination.

This year, the Celukan Bawang Port is set to welcome 12 cruise ships. Eight have already visited, and there are four more scheduled between October and December, though more could be added to the schedule. 

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Speaking to reporters, the Acting General Manager of Pelindo Celukan Bawang, Mochammad Imron, said that cruise ship visits to Celukan Bawang Port increased by 50% compared to last year. A further 50% increase in cruise arrivals is also anticipated in 2026. 

Imron shared, “Next year, the plan is to increase by another 50 percent. If now it is around 12 cruise ships, next year there will be tens, more than 20 in a year.” The schedule is even being designed for 2028, with trends for cruise travel in Bali showing no sign of slowing down.

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The cruise ships arriving in North Bali’s Celukan Bawang Port are medium-sized, carrying between 600 and 700 passengers at a time. The cruises generally stop over for just one way before traveling onward.

It is not only North Bali’s Celukan Bawang Port that is welcoming more cruise ships and international tourists, but Benoa Harbor too. By the end of 2025, Benoa Harbor will be fully operational under its new identity as the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub. 

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The redevelopment of Benoa Harbor into the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub has been a project more than five years in the making and has received millions of dollars of investment. Earlier this week, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana arrived in Bali to conduct a series of visits with provincial and business leaders and visited the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub for herself.

The transformation of Benoa Harbor now means that the port area can accommodate cruise ships that are up to 1,100 square meters and considered ‘jumbo cruise liners’.

The new cruise dock pier can accommodate up to three such jumbo-sized cruise ships at one time, which would see the area welcoming up to 9,000 passengers. All these developments are poised to help Bali become a world-leading cruise tourism destination in the next decade. 

The development of the cruise liner dock comes in addition to a 57,400 square meter yacht marina, which can welcome 275 luxury yachts. Bali is on a mission to not only be a cruise destination but also establish itself as a world-leading luxury maritime tourism destination. 

Speaking to reporters during the site visit with Minister Wardhana, the Strategic Director of Pelindo, the state-owned company behind the development, explained to the media how the new era of Benoa as the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub will help support economic growth in Bali and the surrounding regions. 

Drajat Sulistyo told reporters, “The Bali Maritime Tourism Hub is not just a port but a centre for marine tourism, activated, integrated with logistics, shipping and tourism infrastructure.”

“We remain committed to making this area an international maritime hub.”

There are many different cruise operators offering tours of Indonesia, Australia, the South Pacific Region, and Southeast Asia. Cruise specialises in Seabourn Quest, offering a 16‑night itinerary that departs from Bali’s Benoa and concludes in Sydney, Australia. The cruise voyage takes stops in Indonesia’s  Komodo Islands in Labuan Bajo, before traveling onward to Darwin, Cairns, and Sydney.