Bali reopens to foreign travelers as COVID-19 surge subsides

By FIRDIA LISNAWATI
Associated Press

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — The Indonesian resort island of Bali has reopened for international travelers to visit its shops and white-sand beaches after more than a year. They must be vaccinated, test negative, hail from certain countries, quarantine for five days and heed restrictions in public. No international flights were scheduled Thursday, and a tourism official expects travel to start picking up next month. President Joko Widodo credits Bali’s high vaccination rate for the decision to reopen. The COVID-19 caseload has also declined considerably. The number of foreign arrivals to the island dropped six-fold last year. A hotel manager hoped the occupancy rate would return to normal, saying “We have been waiting for this moment for so long.”