Indonesia Opens Bali, Riau Islands to Travelers from 19 Countries

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia reopens Bali and Riau islands to tourists from 19 countries starting from Thursday, October 14, a senior minister said.

“Following President Joko Widodo’s instruction, we have given permission to 19 countries to be able to travel to Indonesia’s Bali and Riau islands,” said Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on the ministry website Thursday.

The countries consist of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Norway.

Luhut, who is also the coordinator of the Covid-19 restrictions on public activities in Java-Bali, said that the countries were chosen based on low positivity rates data issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also read: Indonesia to Reopen Batam, Bintan to Foreign Travelers from Oct. 14

“The list of 19 countries only specifically applies to direct flights to Bali and the Riau islands,” Luhut said.

He hoped that the implementation of reopening Bali to foreign tourists will be done smoothly as the move will be evaluated periodically by the government.

He called on the relevant government ministries and agencies to work closely to immediately complete all technical preparations for the arrival of foreign travelers to Bali. The government through the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) will issue a circular letter regarding the international travel regulations.

Quarantine period

The government has decided to shorten the quarantine period to five days from eight days. This will apply to international arrival in Bali, Riau islands, Jakarta, and North Sulawesi’s Manado airports.