Tourists Can Find Unexpected Benefits As Bali’s Peak And Low Seasons Merge

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Tourists are loving Bali right now. Whatever the weather, whatever the season, there is little standing in the way of holidaymakers jetting off to the Island of the Gods for the vacation of a lifetime.

As the demand for Bali travel grows by the day, travel trends are changing. One key change in Bali lovers’ travel habits in 2024 is that the gap between the high and low seasons is lessening. 

Once upon a time, there was a clearly defined high season and low season in Bali. Holidaymakers planning trips around the school vacation period or international public holidays had to grin and bear the inflated cost of hotels, day trips, and flights in return for a sun lounger on Seminyak Beach. 

Those who had more flexibility in terms of time or were operating on a low budget were able to reap the rewards of low season prices and experience Bali’s most iconic landmarks and landscapes without the high-season’s crowds. 

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Typically speaking, the Bali low season runs from late January to early June, minus a huge influx of domestic tourists over the Eid Holiday.

The high season typically gets underway in June and runs to late August, before resorts quieten down ahead of the frenzied influx of tourists for the Christmas and New Year holidays, when upwards of one million arrivals descend on the island for anywhere between one and three weeks. 

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As demand for travel in Bali has increased and as the island attracts a wider range of traveler demographics from all corners of the globe, the difference between high seasons and low seasons has started to fade away.

This has pros and cons for holidaymakers, digital nomads, and long-stay visitors on the island, who will have to learn a new set of travel-savvy hacks to make the most of the homogenized tourism season. 

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Top tourism experts have observed the merging of the tourism seasons, too. Speaking to reporters, the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at Udayana University in Denpasar, Dr Wayan Suardana, shared his insights on how the merging of the seasons could lead to over-tourism in southern Bali if serious management solutions are not implemented quickly.

He noted that the merging of the high and low seasons could bring down the quality of tourism experiences across the board, attracting lower spending, shorter stays, and potentially culturally disrespectful tourists to the province.

Dr Suardana explained, “While we were rather homogenous before 2019 [with tourists mostly from] Australia and Europe, now it is heterogeneous. We no longer recognize low season and peak season. Now, there are tourists every month. Eventually, the consequences will be felt in Bali tourism.”

With the presence of high numbers of tourists on the island throughout the year, Dr Suardana noted that some residents and communities are feeling more negative impacts than positive consequences of mass tourism, especially in popular resort areas.

He said, “How does tourism contribute to the community? Do people accept it? Are there any rejections? Indeed, there are people in several points, the main tourism spots, some have started to react, such as in Seminyak, complaining about the traffic jam; they are no longer comfortable living there.”

For the tourists, the year-round presence of over a million international visitors a month, in addition to 200,000 registered ex-pats, has an acute impact, too. Long traffic jams, crowded beaches, queues to visit top attractions, and booked-out popular hotels and villas can all leave a sour taste in the mouth. 

So, how can holidaymakers leverage the benefits of a single tourism season in Bali? As competition for guests remains high throughout the year, some hotels are regulating room rates throughout the year, offering great value deals and inclusive packages at better average prices.

Tourists can also look towards emerging destinations in the west, north, and east of the island, as tourism businesses in these areas are better able to offer crowd-free stays, less traffic, and fantastic room rates.

As the busy areas become busier, old favorites like Kuta and Legian that have been overlooked by beach lovers in favor of trending destinations like Canggu and Uluwatu can provide classic beachside vacations for incredible value too.

In short, you don’t have to wait until the low season to scoop a travel deal in Bali anyone; the market is wide open!