Rising Fuel Costs Trigger Fast Boat Fare Increases For Bali Tourists

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Tourists using Bali’s fast boat services will need to adjust their budgets as ticket prices increase to reflect rising fuel costs. Petrol costs on mainland Bali are increasing from IDR 7,650 per liter (USD 0.5) to IDR 10,000 (USD 0.67). 

The main fast boat services that will be impacted are from Bali to Nusa Penida and hopping between Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Cengingan. It is expected that fares will also increase from Bali to the Gili Islands and Lombok in the near future. 

The Head of the Klungkung Transportation Service, I Nyoman Sucitra, told local reporters that this plan has been in the pipeline for three weeks and is coming into effect as of Wednesday 7th, September. He said that the rise in petrol costs is the reason for the increasing prices and that boat operators cannot fund the difference. ‘If tariff adjustments are not made in line with the increase in fuel prices, [this] has the potential not to cover operational costs, both for sailing, docking, and others.

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The prices are not regulated by regional governments but by the central transport ministry, which has a knock-on impact on regional boat operations. The boat operators held a meeting and assessed the changing financial situation. Together, they agreed on a fair and practical increase in ticket prices and presented this to the regency government, who approved the change in tariff.

Sucitra said, ‘Regarding the fast boat tariff, it is not regulated in the Regional Regulation but refers to the Ministry’s regulations, and the most decisive is the manager of the fast boat concerned’. 

Prices may not be all that noticeable to tourists, a slight increase of a few dollars. Currently, the boat fare from Kusamba Village in Bali to Nusa Penida is IDR 50,000 (USD 3.36). With the new increase, tickets will cost IDR 70,000 (4.70) one way per person. For travelers heading to Nusa Ceningan from Kusamba Village, tickets will not cost IDR 85,000 (5.71) rather than IDR 65,000 (4.37).

These ticket increases have been agreed upon by all the boat operators who provide fast boat services from Kusamba to the Nusa Islands, including; Gangga Express, Sekarjaya Group, The Angkal, Idola Group, Wijaya Buyuk, Caspla, D Camel, Artamas, Glory 2, Rocky, Funtasea, D Star, Boat Tanis, Dream Beach, Marlin, Mushroom Prds, Semabhu Hill Group. Some of these boat operators also provide fast boat services from Sanur and Padang Bai; ticket prices will have increased by around 30% from Sanur too.

The news comes just a week after tourism officials on Nusa Penida shared figures celebrating the return of mass tourism to the area. Compared to areas like Kuta, Legian and Seminyak, tourism in Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan has been slower to bounce back. 

Many tourists incorporate a visit to Nusa Penida as a day trip during their holiday in Bali. There are plenty of different accommodation options on the Nusa Islands, and there is plenty more to explore than can be seen in a day alone.

The Nusa Islands sit 30-minutes away from mainland Bali, and is governed is under the same provincial government as Bali. The tourism tariff to visit the Nusa Islands remains at IDR 25,000 (USD 1.68) for adults and IDR 15,000 (USD 1) for children. The tourism levee was put in place to help fund improvements to infrastructure across the islands.

Rising fuel costs are being felt heavily across Indonesia, especially in the transportation sector. Bali’s tourism transportation sector was just starting to find its feet after the height of the pandemic. Local newspapers have also reported that online taxi service provider GoJek will increase their fees to reflect the increase in petrol costs. Small increases in fares for transportation services for tourists and locals can be expected across the island in the coming months.