It’s fast approaching July when most Singaporeans and fellow sunseekers are anticipating a beach holiday in tropical Bali, the islands of Gods.
For the uninitiated, Bali is the posterchild of Indonesian islands featuring its awe-inducing landscape of hills, mountains, rugged coastlines, verdant rice fields, sandy beaches, and jewel-blue ocean. There are plenty of experiences to enjoy ranging from invigorating health and wellness retreat to adrenaline-filled water sports and delicious cuisine, it’s a popular holiday destination for all kinds of travellers. Over the years, Bali is also a top choice as a romantic wedding venue.
Locals and Bali government work together to contain the virus outbreak
This year, things might look a little different in Bali due to the coronavirus. While the island has emerged relatively unscathed – with over 500 confirmed cases, two-thirds of whom have recovered fully, majority of the hotels and tourist activities are not in operation yet in a bid to curb the virus outbreak. The Covid-19 situation in Bali has remained under controlled with cooperation from the local community and government.
As the country is facing down a global pandemic, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy launched “Thoughtful Indonesia”, a sub-brand of its official “Wonderful Indonesia” tagline. Travelling to Indonesia might not happen right away given the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, but the government has outline plans to relaunch tourism for domestic travellers beginning with Bali.
Re-inventing Bali
The government is introducing CHS which stands for Cleanliness, Health and Safety protocols to get the island ready for tourism in Covid-19 era. Safe-distancing, temperature screening and health declaration will be the new normal in tourism to ensure travellers’ safety.
The Bali Tourism Association ASITA shared that while there is no official date for the reopening at the moment, they remain optimistic to welcome tourists back with the new CHS protocols.
Bali will be reopening in phases
The Deputy of Marketing for Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Nia Niscaya also said that “Before opening a destination we need to build self-confidence in order to provide a sense of security and comfort for tourists.” And this is done through CHS protocols and reopening Bali in phases as each area has a different condition and situation.
The CHS program will be piloting in Nusa Dua area of Bali. This also means that the influx of tourists will be in limited quantity for the safety of all.
When will Bali be Ready for Tourists?
On May 28, the country’s Minister for National Development and Planning mentioned that Bali is expected to be ready in July. This announcement came after considering the total number of confirmed cases in Bali remains low. There is no official reopening date set as of yet. The island along with Manado and Batam are among places where the government is planning to ease restrictions.
