MANGUPURA, Bali (BPN) – Bali welcomed the arrival of tourists from China after 210 people on board Indonesia’s Lion Air landed at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali on Sunday (22/01/2023), through a direct flight from Shenzhen.
“In 2019, the most international passengers heading to Bali were from Australia with 1,241,128 passengers, followed by China, 1,186,057 passengers, and 374,045 Indian passengers. This record indicates that Chinese tourists will significantly impact the recovery of the aviation sector and its derivatives,” said Handy Heryudhitiawan, General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali.
“I hope this flight can trigger other airlines to open potential routes and we are ready to support operations so that it can run smoothly,” he said.
Governor of Bali I Wayan Koster said the number of tourists from China in 2019 reached 1.2 million visits, the second largest after tourists from Australia.
“Hopefully this year it (tourism) will revive as planned. In 2019 the number of foreign tourists to Bali reached 6.3 million and in 2022 it increased gradually and recorded 2.4 million (foreign tourist) visits. Hopefully this year we can reach the target of at least 4.5 million foreign tourist visits,” Governor Koster said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said in a press release that China is one of the largest markets for Indonesia’s tourism. The Tourism Ministry is targeting 255,300 Chinese tourist arrivals in 2023.
“We also continue to apply the health protocol for the arrival of Chinese tourists. And as of today there is no need for additional checks for tourists from China, all follow the existing standards,” he said.
 – Bali welcomed the arrival of tourists from China after 210 people on board Indonesia's Lion Air landed at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport - Bali on Sunday (22/01/2023), through a direct flight from Shenzhen.){kind=link}