When is Bali (and Indonesia) reopening?

[ofaissol]

Does anyone have any idea when Bali and other destinations in Indonesia are likely to reopen?

I have a plane ticket for April but the way things are going I might have to reschedule it.

I found this on the web: https://www.unwto.org/news/unwto-works-with-government-of-indonesia-to-restart-tourism-in-bali but it doesn´t help much.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Cheers!

[jaffa1949]

Your guess is about as good as you can find at the moment , try Indonesian Government travel advice!
It could be a long time between Jam Bintang!

[BaNZ]

Take this with a grain of salt. My friends looked into it and the locals said you can just "pay" them to get in the country. They often surf in Lombok.

I

[TeeBee89]

Answers can be mixed.

Cases are climbing, some argue because of the push for domestic tourists over the past few months and new years visits, and speculation is a harder lockdown might be in the in the cards soon. As I understand it, airport is still closed internationally (recent deportations not withstanding, but I think they were sent domestically to Jakarta first) and I believe the Indo government still isn't issuing VOAs at the moment?

On the other hand and with some big grains of salt, travel might still be possible as others have alluded to here. My sense is this is highly contingent on whatever the situation is like in your home country at the moment, as well as your appetite for risk.

Good luck and fingers crossed for a safe reopening, Bali has been hard hit by these shutdowns.

[TeeBee89]

Update:

Might be worth quoting this Coconut article at length. I tend to find it VERY hit or miss as a news source, but some interesting, if conflicting messages here about the proposed 'green zones' vs. what the tourism industry and even Jokowi are saying. April 2022 or mid-2021? Curious to hear what others think, have heard, official/un-official sources.

"Dear Coconauts,

Are you getting tired of this question? At this point in the pandemic, we’ve heard (and reported on) various possible dates, but the dynamics of COVID-19 and Indonesia’s poor handling of this ongoing crisis mean nothing’s ever really set in stone. Sure, we can be hopeful and optimistic, but even then we must not neglect the importance of an approach that is rooted in science and public health.

In one of the more recently announced timeline, Indonesia’s Health Minister said it will be at least another year until Bali opens to international tourists, thus putting the potential reopening of the Indonesian borders to April 2022. After speaking to public health experts a few weeks ago about the planned “green zones” in our little island, that timeline does seem to make a lot of sense, as long as officials take the necessary steps.

Of course, we’re a bit taken aback that President Joko Widodo suggested during his visit to the province this week that Bali might reopen in July if the handling goes well. Well we don’t know about you but even as much as we’d love for this lovely place to restart again, it really should not be done in haste.

So when is it going to be? It’s obvious there’s a lot to be done before we get to any reopening, so in the meantime please stay safe and healthy, friends! See you next week."

Links via Coconut:
https://coconuts.co/bali/news/bali-plans-to-restart-foreign-tourism-in-april-2022-health-minister/
https://coconuts.co/bali/news/indonesia-prepares-for-bali-reopening-in-mid-2021/

Love it or hate it, Bali Slim made some good points about Kuta/Legian getting green zoned ahead of the officially proposed zones. Despite the logistical headaches of vaccinating pop in the area, hard not to see backlash emerging over picking more exclusive areas instead of more developed, long-running historical sources of mass tourism revenue. Granted, green zone sounds more like a test-run:
https://www.baliwaves.com/2021/03/bali-surf-weather-report-25th-march-2021/

Cheers!

[jaffa1949]

Thanks Tee Bee,
it is good to know that we don’t know and then of course what the response will be when get home to wherever we came from!
Just a brief example ; here are more than 40,000 Aussies covid maroon out of Oz I imagine that other nations might be the same, then arriving home quarantine??.

Big hmmmmmmmm!

[TeeBee89]

Nicely put Jaffa!
I'm tempted to quote Rumsfield's "known unknowns" vs. "unknowable unknowns," but I still don't think it is fashionable to do so hahah. Shame that, the man was a poet.
Reckon they can't stay marooned forever? Big Hmm here indeed, one can sense the push from monied interests to get things back to status quo antebellum. Take the proposed opening to tourist states for Bali: China, Japan, South Korea. This doesn't make a lick of sense: they've barely, if even yet, begun their vaccination programs vis North America and Europe. Despite all the fits, stalls, and supply issues, these regions are still (likely) on track to have their pops vaccinated well before South Korea or Japan, to say nothing of China and the (in)effectiveness of Sinovac.
Yes it is Indo and yes I could speculate as to why those states were chosen over Europe/North America. Although it is striking in polls that Balinese have consistently indicated a preference for Aussies and Euro tourists because they stay longer and of course spend more.

[kennethsup]

As per the info Bali ( Indonesia ) is opening in July for foreign tourists, it is currently open for Domestic Residents. Covid is very badly impacting Bali ( Indonesia), so as it is, it's not a very safe place to go this time.

[TeeBee89]

Thanks Ken!
One of the reasons why I like following Bali Slim on this: he'll report the low covid numbers claimed by the local government, but then actively note in writing and pictures the lack of masking by certain groups.
I suspect it is worse than claimed by the government (Indonesian theme through this whole thing of course), but I guess we'll see what impact the vax campaign has that's ramping up now.

[TeeBee89]

Update - not looking good for Indo, Java and Bali specifically entering partial lockdown four day ago for roughly the next two weeks, I think until or roughly July 21st. Doesn't look like Bali 'green zones' will open for early July, despite the progress the vaccination campaign seemed to making in the tourist regions. Have repeatedly heard domestic tourism was driving up Bali numbers, especially post-Eid. Tragically familiar for those of us who've seen these post-holiday surges in our own countries.

Have also heard rumours that people with 'paid visas' were being denied entry during this latest partial lockdown, but have no real confirmation of this. For what it is worth, can only ask people to add Indo to their prayers, really hope they pull through this latest and horrific surge.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57647693

[JeffTribe]

The situation is complicated in Indonesia.
Call the Indonesian embassy for updated information.

[TeeBee89]

This Facebook group has some pretty up-to-date information on entering the country, quarantines, showing proof of vaccination, PCR tests, where foreign nationals can get vaccinated in country, etc. No quacks, they enforce the rules and boot the disinformation spreaders immediately. Situation is constantly changing, so a useful resource for unique travel circumstances some may find themselves in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/561026154525551

[TeeBee89]

Kind of a disorganized cluster $#@!, but hope endures:

https://coconuts.co/bali/news/no-direct ... -reopened/

Still rec this group for latest information on how the 're-opening' is going, visas, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/561026154525551

Noticed via Baliwaves that entrances to Kuta beach are bricked up. Anyone know what the deal is with this?