Visits from tourists of all nationalities were banned in March, but Balinese still gathered in their thousands at Hindu ceremonies to pray for the island’s safety, in defiance of social-distancing policies.
Make no mistake. Bali’s economy, 60 to 80 per cent of which is dependent on tourism, has been gutted.
But from a health and public safety perspective, the island has emerged relatively unscathed – for reasons that continue to baffle infectious disease experts. By early June, there had been only five deaths and 510 confirmed infections, two-thirds of whom have fully recovered, according to coronavirus tallying resource Worldometers.
One of the suspected cases was an Australian man who died in his girlfriend’s arms last Wednesday. Local authorities are awaiting the results of a forensic examination to determine whether David Sparenburg died of COVID-19.
“Search patterns would indicate that when international travel returns there may be increased interest in bucket-list destinations,” said a spokesperson for flight comparison site Skyscanner, which has Bali among its users’ top-10 most-searched destinations.
But when exactly will the island reopen for tourism? And what will holidays there look and feel like under the new normal?
Bali's economy has been decimated by the coronavirus crunch on tourism.Bali's economy has been decimated by the coronavirus crunch on tourism.
But from a health and public safety perspective, the island has emerged relatively unscathed – for reasons that continue to baffle infectious disease experts. By early June, there had been only five deaths and 510 confirmed infections, two-thirds of whom have fully recovered, according to coronavirus tallying resource Worldometers.
One of the suspected cases was an Australian man who died in his girlfriend’s arms last Wednesday. Local authorities are awaiting the results of a forensic examination to determine whether David Sparenburg died of COVID-19.
Whatever the reason, the so-called miracle of Bali has lit a firecracker under the island’s global prestige. Search results for users of travel shopping website Expedia in Australia show Bali as the no.2 bucket-list destination for travel next summer. Online ticketing company Booking.com also ranks Bali as the second most popular place in the world travellers want to return to when the pandemic is over.
“Search patterns would indicate that when international travel returns there may be increased interest in bucket-list destinations,” said a spokesperson for flight comparison site Skyscanner, which has Bali among its users’ top-10 most-searched destinations.
But when exactly will the island reopen for tourism? And what will holidays there look and feel like under the new normal?
No date has been set to lift temporary travel restrictions that prevent tourists from visiting Bali (or, indeed, for Australians to head overseas at all). Reports that suggest otherwise are false, according to Bali’s Ngurah Rai Immigration Office and the island’s tourism board.
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