The narrative that Bali saw fewer tourists which spread widely on social media, turned out to be unfounded. Throughout 2025, foreign tourist visits to Bali actually set the highest record in history, surpassing more than 7.1 million visits.
For this achievement, Bali Governor Wayan Koster received direct appreciation from Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana during a working visit to Puri Agung Ubud, Gianyar, Thursday (1/1/2026).
The visit also served as a field inspection to directly observe Bali’s tourism activity, especially in the Ubud area.
Governor Koster explained that based on Angkasa Pura data, the number of foreign tourists arriving in Bali by air up to December 31, 2025 reached more than 7.05 million people. This figure rose significantly compared to 2024, which recorded around 6.3 million visits.
“This means there was an increase of around 750 thousand tourists or 11.3 percent. This is the highest record in the history of Bali tourism, even surpassing achievements before the Covid-19 pandemic,” stressed Wayan Koster, quoted from the Bali Provincial Government website, Tuesday (6/1/2026).
He added that before the pandemic in 2019, foreign tourist visits to Bali were recorded at 6.27 million people. According to him, the 2025 achievement is strong proof that Bali remains a top world destination despite various issues.
“Whatever issues circulate, Bali is still chosen by world tourists,” he said.
Domestic Tourists Decline
In addition to air arrivals, foreign tourist arrivals by sea also increased. Data from Benoa Port recorded around 71 thousand foreign tourists arriving via cruise ships throughout 2025, up from 53 thousand people the previous year.
“If combined between air and sea routes, the number of foreign tourists reached more than 7.1 million people, and that does not yet include arrivals by land,” he explained.
Meanwhile, domestic tourist visits in 2025 were recorded at 9.28 million people, down about 700 thousand visits compared to 2024 which reached 10.1 million people.
“In total, the combination of foreign and domestic tourists in 2025 was around 16.38 million visits, down slightly by about 0.7 percent compared to the previous year. This decline was caused by fewer domestic tourists,” Koster revealed.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that foreign tourist data actually refutes the claim that Bali is quiet.
“The facts on the ground are clear. Ngurah Rai Airport is crowded, shopping centers are busy, tourist destinations are full, even traffic is congested. The data proves Bali is not quiet,” he asserted.
Responding to the presentation, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana stressed that Bali remains the central government’s top priority in national tourism development.
“Bali is a very important destination for Indonesia. The central government will continue to provide full support, including in developing quality tourism that aligns with Bali Provincial Regulations,” said Widiyanti.
She also conveyed that the World Bank has conducted studies related to issues and strengthening quality tourism in Bali, to ensure sustainable tourism that provides broad benefits for society.
Sources : HarianKota
Feat Image : via AntaraNews