Bali to reopen for domestic tourists on Friday

Tourists visit Melasti Beach in Badung regency, Bali, on June 24. (Antara/Fikri Yusuf)

JAKARTA — Deputy Bali governor Tjokorda Oka Artha has said the province will reopen for domestic tourists on Friday.

Natural and cultural tourist destinations would be open for visitors, he said, but the popular resort island would not yet reopen its entertainment establishments such as nightclubs and karaoke lounges.

“Nightclubs are not allowed [to reopen] yet. Bali offers a lot [of other tourist destinations] like natural or cultural [tourist spots],” Tjokorda said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

He said Bali’s hotels and resorts were ready to organize business meetings and events as well.

The Bali administration is currently cooperating with the Denpasar Indonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI) to hold kecak and other traditional dance performances.

They are trying to figure out ways to allow dancers to follow health protocols while performing the kecak dance, which traditionally involves dozens of performers.

According to Tjokorda, the Bali administration has prepared for the tourism reopening for a long time.

The administration has a three-phase plan for relaxing restrictions to welcome tourists to the island. The first phase started on July 9 when the administration began reopening local businesses and tourist spots for residents of Bali.

The second phase will be carried out on July 31 by reopening for domestic tourists. The third phase, which is reopening the border for international tourists, is set to launch on Sept. 11.

Prior to arriving in Bali, all visitors should also install the LOVEBALI application, which can be downloaded via the government’s official website (https://lovebali.baliprov.go.id). The app is used as a platform for visitors to report problems or complaints while in Bali. Visitors are also encouraged to always activate their phone GPS while on the island.

Tjokorda expressed the hope that the reopening could be carried out according to plan since COVID-19 cases in Bali were still under control.

“The number of recovered COVID-19 patients has been increasing in the last few days,” he said.

However, he said he was not sure that the plan to reopen the border for international tourists could be executed on Sep 11.

“We’re still coordinating [with the central government] regarding the temporary ban on foreign arrivals and transits, which is stipulated in Law and Human Rights Ministerial Regulation No. 11/2020. We’re also still monitoring the development of the COVID-19 pandemic abroad,” Tjokorda said.

As of Wednesday, Bali had recorded 3,310 cases of COVID-19 with 2,711 recoveries and 48 fatalities.