What pandemic? In Bali, the clubs and beaches are packed as tourists flock to the island for their holidays again, despite Omicron

Despite official numbers suggesting only 45 foreigners have visited Bali this year, the island is busier than ever thanks to a large number of domestic tourists

If it weren’t for the masks, there would be no visible signs of the pandemic – ‘It’s like everyone has just stopped worrying about Covid-19,’ says one expat

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Domestic tourists at Bali’s international airport. They have flocked to the island in December, and the island is busier than at any time during the pandemic. Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Published: 1:15pm, 1 Jan 2022

On October 14, Bali’s international airport opened after an 18-month hiatus, ostensibly paving the way for millions of international tourists to return to the island.

But Indonesia’s official border policies – and the movement of tourists to and from Bali – have rarely been in sync during the pandemic.

Between January and August, 1.06 million foreigners arrived in the country through other Indonesian islands, according to Statistics Indonesia. Scores then caught domestic flights to Bali, dwarfing official numbers that suggest only 45 foreigners have visited the island this year.

In July, for example, the Balinese government acknowledged there were 110,000 foreigners on the island. Anecdotal evidence in the form of packed beach clubs, nightclubs and restaurants in the tourist hubs of Uluwatu, Seminyak and Canggu suggests the number kept on rising between September, when Bali’s second partial lockdown was lifted, and late November, when the government introduced strict new quarantine measures to try to stymie the import of the Omicron variant.

Domestic tourists at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia on December 22, 2021. Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Originally only three days, quarantine was raised to five days, then seven, and now stands at 10 days; moreover, it cannot be undertaken in Bali. The changes have forced international airlines to cancel all scheduled flights to Bali.

However, the impact has not been felt on the ground because of the large number of Indonesian tourists holidaying in Bali. By mid-December, 13,000 were arriving daily. If it weren’t for the masks – properly worn by about half of the people half the time – there would be no visible sign of the pandemic.