G20 summit casts spotlight on Bali’s tourism revival

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — The dozens of world leaders and other dignitaries traveling to Bali for the G-20 summit will be drawing a welcome spotlight on the revival of the tropical island’s ailing tourism sector. Bali’s economy is on the mend but it’s still drawing only a third of the travelers who used to arrive here before the pandemic. It got through a two-year closure to foreign travelers by wooing domestic tourists happy to take advantage of pandemic discounts. But many working in the tourism sector still lost their livelihoods. Now that quarantines and other restrictions have ended, the island is trying to draw more digital nomads and other well-heeled travelers, hoping to build a stronger foundation for Bali’s economy.