2012 was another year of growth for Bali tourism – with 2.88 million foreign tourists and 5 million domestic tourists coming to the island to spend their vacations. According to Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, head of Bali tourism office, the number of foreign tourists had exceeded the government’s target of 2.8 million. Top tourists are Australian tourists, followed by Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians and South Koreans.
An interesting development is the come-back of Japanese tourists. “The good news in 2012 was that arrivals from Japan increased, as they had significantly decreased over the last few years due to natural disasters and an economic downturn in the country. We hope this year to greet more Japanese tourists in Bali again,” Subhiksu said.
Trends for the year 2013 are very positive. Expectations from the government for 2013 is for 3.1 million foreign arrivals- with a number of large international events such as the World Hindu Summit in June which will be attended by hundreds of Hindu leaders and high priests. Later in the year, Bali will host the World Pageant contest in September and, on a more diplomatic note, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit will happen in Nusa Dua resort complex in October – where US President Barack Obama is expected. Finally, the Bali Democracy Forum, scheduled for December 2013, will close the year 2013 in Bali.
“Bali will also have better facilities with the completion of its toll road and underpass, as well as the expansion of Ngurah Rai International Airport. So, we are really optimistic,” Subhiksu said. More and more tourists visit Bali, with a large share still staying in hotels, resorts and villas in Seminyak – and there is a great need indeed to de-congest the roads leading into the touristic hub of Bali.
(Update May 2014: Full update on 2013 numbers available here )
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