Bali Governor I Wayan Koster firmly denied claims that the province he leads is lacking tourists during the Christmas and year‑end holidays.
Governor Koster even stated that Bali’s tourism is showing an upward trend, welcoming around 17,000 tourists every day.
“It’s false that Bali is empty of tourists. I have the data. In fact, the numbers are increasing daily. Right now, there are about 17,000 foreign tourists per day, and previously it even reached 20,000,” Koster emphasized at his office on Monday (December 22, 2025).
Koster then compared the number of tourists arriving in 2025 with data from the same period in 2024. According to him, throughout 2024 Bali recorded 6.3 million tourists, while data up to mid‑December 2025 shows 6.7 million.
Based on that data, Governor Koster is optimistic that Bali will reach its target of 7 million visitors by the end of the year.
“The 7 million target is still very achievable. There are still about two weeks left,” he added.
Low Hotel Occupancy
Koster stressed that overall, the number of international tourists this year has still increased by around 8%, or about 400,000 more visits compared to last year.
However, he also acknowledged that the rise in tourist numbers is not reflected in hotel occupancy rates.
According to Koster, this is due to the growing number of non‑hotel tourist accommodations such as Airbnb.
“Hotel occupancy has indeed declined. The lowest is around 60%, while star‑rated hotels in Nusa Dua are around 80%. It should be higher than that, but many tourists are staying in Airbnbs,” he explained.
Based on this, Bali provincial government plans to soon issue a Governor’s Regulation concerning Airbnb, in line with directives from the Ministry of Investment.
Koster will conduct studies, data collection, and management schemes for accommodations following Singapore’s regulatory model, including halting illegal accomodation operating without permits and do not pay taxes. He intends to begin enforcement in 2026.
Sources: RadarBuleleng, DetikNews
Feat Image: via AntaraNews//Hreeloita Dharma Shanti