New Direct Flight From Bali To Super Unique Travel Destination Coming Soon

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Leaders in Bali are on a mission to turn the island into an international trade and transit hub on par with Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

This week, Bali tourism leaders hosted international delegates to discuss future partnerships and travel connectivity with a super unique destination.

On Wednesday, 10th December, a tourism business roundtable meeting was hosted at the Fairfield by Marriott Bali Kuta Ngurah Rai Hotel.

The meeting was attended by stakeholders such as the Bali Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali, the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) Bali, the Bali Tourism Board, and members of ASITA Bali and Organda.

One notable guest was Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Bali, I Putu Winastra, who confirmed to reporters that one agenda item of the meeting was to bring together business association leaders in Bali with Kazakhstan.

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He told reporters, “Today is a business roundtable between Kazakhstan and Bali, where we invited stakeholder leaders to share the business potential in Kazakhstan that our associations in Bali can capitalize on.”

Winastra added, “There are many potential areas for development in Kazakhstan. For example, sending therapists from Bali. Balinese therapists are well-known internationally. This is an opportunity worth seizing.” Bali welcomes a fair amount of tourists from Kazakhstan, though notably lower than neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, which can welcome 200,000 – 300,000 tourists from Kazakhstan annually.

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Winastra told reporters, “This means there are still many potential opportunities we can capitalize on in Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, our challenge lies in connectivity from Kazakhstan, particularly from Almaty or Astana (two major cities in Kazakhstan) to Bali, which requires connecting via other countries. Meanwhile, direct flights to Thailand and Vietnam, for example, already exist.”

He explained that the Kazakh tourism market could be of great benefit for Bali, especially since tourists tend to stay longer and spend more.  “This Kazakhstani tourist is one of the tourists who spends quite a lot of money and whose length of stay is more than 10 days.”

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As the Honorary Consul for Kazakhstan in Indonesia, Winastra confirmed that, along with the Kazakh Embassy and the Indonesian government, he is pushing for the establishment of direct flights to build more effective connectivity.

There is also hope that visa-free travel for Kazakh tourists is on the cards in the future to help incentivise travel. The Kazakh Ambassador to Indonesia, Serzhan Abdykarimov, warmly welcomed these collaborative steps. 

Only last month did Indonesia add visa-free travel for South African nationals, giving everyone a glimmer of hope that more visa-free travel could be on the cards in the near future. Prior to the pandemic, free travel was available for all of Bali’s most frequent arrivals, including Australians. 

What is clear is that more international flight connections will be opened up from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in 2026 and beyond. In 2025, more than a dozen new flights were added to the schedule, catering to both domestic and international routes. 

The latest of which is a short domestic flight between Denpasar and Jember in East Java. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, the General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, shared that the new route not only expands air connectivity between Bali and East Java as regions but is a game-changer, particularly for Jember, which has previously lacked direct connections.

Shahab explained, “This route opens new access for public mobility and supports economic growth between the regions.”

He continued, “The opening of this new route is part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening national air connectivity and encouraging the growth of the tourism industry and the regional economy.”

Shahab concluded, “Each new route added not only expands the flight network available to the public but also strengthens Bali’s position as a leading destination that remains in high demand. We are committed to continuously improving Bali’s accessibility to various regions in Indonesia by supporting route expansion and airport service development.”