It is a really special time of year in Bali. This November, Bali will observe the Galungan and Kuningan festivals.
To honour these holy days and celebrate all of the island’s unique heritage, Bali Airport is preparing a special program of events to welcome tourists with a truly cultural and authentic welcome.
Celebrations have already begun at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport as part of a month-long event promoting and exploring Balinese Mythology. The event program kicked off in the last week of October and will run until the 25th November 2025. The airport has been transformed from a transportation hub into a cultural wonderland for both international and domestic travellers to enjoy.
The most impressive installation in the Balinese Mythology event is the Bedawang Nala, a giant turtle supporting Planet Earth. This visually stunning installation has been created to convey a philosophical message about balance and harmony in the universe. The piece is also designed to help showcase the depth and relevance of Balinese cultural values in a modern public space like an airport.
Speaking to reporters, General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, shared, “We want to create an unforgettable flying experience, allowing passengers to enjoy their time at the airport in a more enjoyable, personalized, and memorable way.”
He added, “We want the airport to play an active role in strengthening Bali’s image as a cultural tourism destination.” Noting “With a predominantly tourist passenger profile, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport strives to create an atmosphere that reflects the character of Bali, a destination full of stories, meaning, and experiences.”
Bali Airport Management takes great pride in creating seasonal and thematic events to entertain passengers and travellers.
The Balinese Mythology and Galungan and Kuningan programs will be completed by 25th November, by which time Christmas and New Year are only days away. The Christmas and New Year holidays in Indonesia are referred to as Nataru, and it is one of the busiest times of year for Bali Airport and the tourism industry as a whole.
Typically, Bali welcomes more than one million tourists during the Nataru period, and transportation hubs such as Bali Airport, Sanur Port, and Gilimanuk Port see a sharp surge in the number of passengers and generally offer extra services to accommodate the rising demand.
Travel data shared at the end of October confirmed passenger arrival figures for the year so far. Travel data in Indonesia is shared with a one-month delay, meaning the figures show passenger movements between January and September 2025.
In the first 9 months of the year, Australia topped the charts again as the most frequent international arrivals to Bali. An incredible 1,250,999 Australians landed in Bali, and more direct flight services are being launched all the time.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of the new Jetstar Newcastle-Bali flight service on the 21st October, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab shared, “For the first time, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport is connected to the city of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.”
“This route further expands access for Australian tourists to directly enjoy the beauty of Bali without having to transit in another city.”
He added, “We are optimistic that the Newcastle-Denpasar route will further strengthen relations between Indonesia and Australia and have a positive impact on Bali’s tourism sector and economy.”
The new flight service makes Australia the Bali Airport’s most connected destination. I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport connects nine Australian airports directly, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns, Darwin, Perth, the Gold Coast, and now Newcastle.
In the big picture, Ngurah Rai Airport currently serves 21 domestic flights and 38 international flights. By the end of September 2025, the airport will serve 18.23 million passengers and facilitate 106,000 aircraft movements.
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