Bali Tourist Arrivals
Bali Tourist Arrivals continue to boom. Balipost.com reports that 616,641 foreign tourists visited Bali in August 2024, a decline of 1.44% compared to the 625,665 tourists who visited in July. Compared to August 2023, when 533,141 tourists came to the Island, arrivals have increased 18% year-on-year.
The interim chief of the Bali Statistics Center (BPS-Bali), Kadek Agus Wirawan, reports that occupancy rates at Bali-starred hotels in August averaged 70.16%, an increase of 1.38 points when compared to July 2024 when the average occupancy rate was 68.78%. On a year-on-year basis, August occupancies increased by 9.52% compared to the same month in 2023.
Non-starred hotels in August 2024 recorded an average length of stay (LOS) of 2,45 days, an increase of 0.02 points from the previous month of July when the ALOS was 2.43 days.
Australian visitors dominated arrivals in August 2024 with a 23.17% share, totaling 142,884. The following countries, listed in declining order, completed the “top five” sources of foreign visitors to Bali: China (PRC) 44,331; India 45,525; France 36,334; and the United Kingdom (31,055).
Among the “top ten” sources of foreign visitors to Bali in August, Italian arrivals increased a dramatic 175.88% (month on month) over July arrivals from Italy.
Nation-wide, ASEAN arrivals dominate tourism, while in Bali, arrivals from Europe (27.32%) and Oceania (27,13%) predominate.
In terms of market share, countries constituting the primary sources of visitors to Bali are Australia, India, the USA, Singapore, South Korea, France, Malaysia, and Germany.
“NO” to Casinos on Bali Island
CNN Indonesia quotes the Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Department, Tjokorda Bagus Pemayun, as rejecting suggestions that Bali should authorize the operation of international standard gambling casinos. Insisting Bali will only allow culturally-based tourism, casinos will continue to be barred from opening in Bali.
Explaining the opposition to casinos in Bali, Pemayun said: “Clearly, our tourism basis is cultural. As a result, the tourism that we develop is cultural tourism. It’s not a matter of rejection. We only want cultural tourism. Period, Right?” he said.
What’s more, Pemayun said that Indonesian law forbids casino operations.
In addition, he said the law also prohibits gambling, and that makes it impossible to build a casino in Bali.
Despite the legal challenges, Bali’s Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) chairman, Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih, and his associates are adamant in their lobbying efforts to create an international standard casino in Bali. The HIPMI Chairman defends his pro-casino stance on the basis that the revenues and taxes generated by casino operations would provide the funds needed to manage the Island’s growing mountains of trash. Linggih estimates a Bali Casion Operation would generate Rp. 4 trillion in taxes annually.
Linggih says: “A casino (in Bali) is urgently needed. The (estimated) tax revenue is around Rp 4 trillion, which is needed to address several problems. One of these problems is waste management, for which around Rp 3 trillion is needed to manage 100 percent of the waste produced in Bali.”
Comparing Bali to Singapore, the young businessman says there is a potential tax income of Rp. 12 to Rp 13 trillion per year. This high-income level does not include added income from hotels, restaurants, or income taxes casino workers pay.
Separately, CNBC Asia reports that the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, confirms no plans to build a casino in Bali. Echoing the Minister, Nia Niscaya, a lead official at the Ministry, confirms that establishing a casino in Indonesia is forbidden under national law.
Emphasizing the official stance, Nia Niscaya said Indonesia has zero tolerance for casino operations.
In this regard, Indonesia is unlike the neighboring countries of Singapore and Malaysia, where casinos operate as tourist attractions.
In response, supporters of casino operations in Bali think special exemptions to the law should be established to allow casinos to open in Bali.
The “pro-casino lobby” suggests that among the legal accommodations to Indonesian law could include rules forbidding Indonesians from entering casinos and reserving gambling dens only for foreign visitors.
The casino advocates have also proposed locating the casino in one of the more remote, impoverished areas of Bali to achieve a more equitable geographical spread of investment, away from the crowded southern areas of the Island.
Garuda Airfares to Bali Now 45% Less
The State News Agency Antara reports that the Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy states that Garuda Indonesia has reduced ticket prices by as much as 45% on flights destined for Bali.
Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno told the press on Monday, 14 October 2024: “For Garuda Indonesia, the price reduction is around Rp. 1.4 to 1.6 million when compared to the earlier Rp. 3 million price – this is a significant reduction. That’s already 45%.”
Sandiaga communicated with the CEO of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra, regarding the reduction in ticket prices.
The Tourism Minister said the savings available on Bali-bound tickets vary depending on the date and time of each flight departure. The most significant price reductions are available during off-peak travel periods when passenger demand is lower.
The announcement by the Tourism Minister was made during his last weekly press conference in his role as a Cabinet Minister.
Earlier, the Tourism Minister emphasized that connectivity and accessibility were the key factors in increasing tourism visits to Indonesia.
“Connectivity is the key to increasing foreign visitors to Indonesia,” he said.
The Province of Bali contributes around 80% of all tourism visitors to Indonesia, with the government targeting 17 million visitors nationwide. The Director of Marketing for the Ministry of Tourism, Dwi Marhen Yono, said, “Bali remains the main magnet for tourists visiting Indonesia.”
Indonesia increased its targeted tourist arrivals from 14.3 million in 2023 to 17 million in 2024.
For the Province of Bali, 5.2 million tourists visited Bali in 2023, with 7 million tourists projected to visit Bali in 2024.
In terms of connectivity, Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport is served by 19 domestic air routes flown by 13 domestic air carriers and 33 international air routes flown by 36 airlines.
Chinese Ponzi Schemer Arrested in Bali
The Director General of Immigration has taken into custody a Mainland Chinese Citizen, identified only by the initials LQ or Joe Lin, listed on INTERPOL’s “Red Notice” Wanted List.
The arrest was made on Tuesday, 01 October 2024, at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport when LQ was detected using automated facial recognition technology.
As reported by Kompas.com and TEMP.CO, LQ alias Joe Lin, entered Indonesia on 26 September 2024, posing as a passenger using a falsified “Joe Lin” identity and Turkish passport # U23358200, traveling on Singapore Airlines SQ 944.
Acting on information provided by INTERPOL, Indonesian police went on the alert looking for LQ, who was accused of masterminding a fraudulent Rp. 210 trillion (US$13.5 billion) Ponzi scheme.
The head of the International Division of the Indonesian Police, Inspector General Krishna Murti, noted cooperation between the Indonesian Police and the Director General of Immigration in identifying the PRC national that permitted his eventual arrest.
“This collaboration is part of standard operating procedures that integrate several agencies, including the Interpol national network, which operates 24/7 and is connected to the Interpol HQ,” said Krishna.
LQ was apprehended when Immigration Officials used face recognition technology to identify LQ as he passed the autogate portal at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport.
On 01 October, when LQ tried to depart Indonesia via Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, immigration officials were able to arrest LQ, who was posing as Joe Lin.
LQ then underwent intensive interviews conducted by immigration authorities before finally being surrendered to the Indonesian HQ for Interpol on 10 October 2024.
INTERPOL has revealed that LQ’s Ponzi scheme victimized 50,000 people at a value estimated at Rp. 210 trillion.
LQ is now legally entangled in the complex and protracted extradition process involving the foreign affairs ministries of Indonesia and the PRC.
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