Wayan Sentiani used to make a lot of money selling t-shirts and sarongs near the beach. She would get up to 2 million rupiah a day from mostly Australian, Chinese and European shoppers.
I opened the shop from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m and only sold a piece worth 75,000 rupiah. Most of our days go by like that. I hope the foreign tourists come back soon.
A simulation of health protocols at the airport in Indonesia.
After reopening its borders to international arrivals, it seems that the island is far from being back to the days of fully- booked hotel rooms, busy restaurants and crowded beaches. In October, only two foreign visitors arrived, compared with half a million in the same month in 2019.
Hopes for the return of tourists are being eroded by the island's restrictiveQuarantine measures and fears of a fresh virus outbreak. If the current curbs can keep the virus under control, the government might ease curbs further to let its tourism sector rebound faster.
The deputy chairman of the island's chapter of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association said that they are like sailing between two reefs.
The economic toll.
It's more difficult to get to the beach destinations in the region. Travelers from overseas need to apply for a visa that requires a local sponsor, health insurance and a 10-day scurvy period. That is a stark contrast to places like Thailand's Phuket and Vietnam's Phu Quoc, which allow inoculated visitors from some countries to enter.
The world's toughest travel curbs are about to reopen.
Indonesia has reason to be wary of another spike in the number of infections. It was one of the worst epidemics in the world in the middle of the year, leading to the deaths of more than 140,000 people. Less than 40% of the population is fully inoculated, rendering the country's vaccine program more vulnerable to another resurgence.
The economy of the province of Bali shrank 9.3% in 2020, the worst among all provinces. Its gross domestic product fell in the first nine months of the year.
Halt is being hired.
There are no expansion plans for Bukit Uluwatu Villa until there are clear signs of an economic rebound. The Alila resorts, which include one perched on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean and another designed by Kerry Hill, have an average of about 13% in November, down from as high as 73% in 2019.
The company isn't planning on hiring any new workers next year because the rate is likely to rise only to 30%.
Thailand is reopening to test its tourism industry.
Government officials are extolling the island's features in their speeches and inviting people to attend side events in order to bring in more visitors, as hotels and restaurants are pinning their hopes on the upcoming G20 meetings to bring in more visitors.
An employee wipes a chair at a hotel.
There are hotel bookings.
Online hotel reservations are indicative of better days to come. The number of bookings were lower in the week ending December 5th than they were in the previous week, but it was an improvement over the 80% decrease in August.
That is not enough to keep Made Yogi Anantawijaya's transport business going. He left his job as a finance ministry official a decade ago to start the venture with his brother, but the Pandemic has forced him to restructure loans, reduce workers and sell off several buses and cars to keep going. Domestic travelers are the majority of orders now.
Yogi said foreign tourists are still zero. Local tourists keep us alive.
With help from Arys Aditya.
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