Tourists Seek To Avoid Crowds As Bali Airport Serves 2 Million People In 2025 So Far

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In January 2025 Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport served over 2 million passengers.

With the island already on track to see a record-breaking number of visitors in the year ahead, tourists are asking whether it’s possible to avoid the crowds, and how Bali Airport might contend with an ever-increasing number of passengers. 

Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport is a busy place indeed. As the second busiest airport in Indonesia, Bali Airport sees the highest volume of holidaymakers and leisure travelers.

In January 2025 the airport served a total of 2,012,537 passengers. As the low season is officially in full swing arrival figures will start to fall, but only until the Eid al-Fitr holiday in March, when a huge surge of tourists will once again travel to the province. 

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The General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, spoke to reporters about the successes of the start of the year and how the terminals plan to support travelers in the year ahead. Speaking of the total passenger numbers for January 2025, Shahab explained “There was a 12% increase compared to last year, with services to 1,803,681 passengers in January 2024.”

On average, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport serves 64,000 passengers every day. Though on peak travel days like those seen during the Christmas and New Year holidays, passenger counts can reach over 79,000 people per day. 

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Shahab revealed that Ngurah Rai Airport currently serves 63 routes operated by 54 airlines. Of this, there are 23 domestic routes served by 12 airlines, and 40 international routes connecting 19 countries with 42 international airlines.

With the surge in the number of passengers forecasted in the year ahead, the airport is committed to maintaining optimal service quality. 

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Shahab noted, “We continue to coordinate with stakeholders and airlines to see routes that have the potential to operate at Ngurah Rai Airport in the future.”

More domestic and international routes are expected to be announced throughout the year. Periodically, major airlines will increase their flight frequency, especially during the high seasons.

Bali Airport is also on a mission to become better connected and to work with airlines to add new flight routes where possible. 

Shahab and his teams have high hopes for the rest of the year and are committed to serving passengers as best as possible. He concluded, “We hope that with the increasing trend of passengers after the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of passengers in 2025 will reach full recovery or even exceed the achievements in 2019.”

As Bali welcomes tens of thousands of holidaymakers every day, tourists are always curious as to how they can avoid the crowds, find hidden gems, and connect with Bali’s unique cultural heritage in authentic ways.

Bali’s top resorts have so much to offer, and there are good reasons why destinations like Uluwatu and Canggu are receiving so much attention right now. Likewise, classic destinations like Ubud, Sanur, and Nusa Penida are worthy of their status as classic bucket list destinations.

For those planning trips to Bali and dreaming of sparsely populated beached, crowd-free temples and expansive, uninterrupted views of Bali’s heritage landscapes, then traveling east is always a good idea. In 2025 East Bali wants to welcome more visitors to the region and there is simply so much to explore.

East Bali offers a little bit of everything; access to unspoiled beaches, incredible volcanic views, charming cultural villages, traditional markets, and easy access to the iconic, picture postcard landmarks that can be found in the central south of the island. 

Top destinations to stay in East Bali include Amed, Tulamben, Padangbai, and Candidasa.

Must-visit cultural attractions included Tirta Gangga Water Palace, Penataran Agung Lempuyang Temple, which is also known to tourists as the Gates of Heaven Temple, and, of course, Mount Agung.