Bali Travel Fair Shifts Foreign Tourist Target Market
Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) 2026 Committee Chair I Putu Winastra stated this year’s tourism exhibition has shifted its target market to nearby countries. “Following directives from the Bali Governor and the ministry, we are shifting our focus from distant markets to closer ones,” Winastra said, as cited by Antara on Friday, 29 May 2026.
Consequently, while European tourism operators typically dominated BBTF, this year saw more participants from Southeast Asia, Asia, and Africa. With 407 tourism operators and 286 sellers from four countries, predominantly Indonesia, participating from 44 nations, numbers surpassed expectations—initial targets were 400 tour operators and 250 exhibitors.
Winastra viewed the surge as a point of pride amid geopolitical uncertainties that had initially caused tourism industry players to feel pessimistic. However, despite exceeding participant targets, he anticipates difficulty in surpassing transaction value targets, as Asian market purchases differ from European ones.
“While the number of participants has exceeded targets, the tour operators present cannot be compared to those from distant markets, so transaction potential will inevitably fall below initial expectations,” he said.
Initially, tourism operators aimed to surpass BBTF 2025’s transaction value of Rp7.84 trillion, but the market shift led them to target Rp6.8 trillion.
“When we calculated based on all participating tour operators, there was a 12% decline from last year. This year’s target is Rp6.8 trillion, and the decrease is due to the different markets we’re targeting,” Winastra added.
A key difference between long-haul and nearby tourists is length of stay. BBTF 2026, held at the Bali International Convention Center from 28-30 May, showed visitors from nearby countries staying less than a week, whereas those from distant nations typically stay two to three weeks.
To maximise outcomes, the event is leveraging the rupiah’s weakness against the US dollar. Indonesian sellers offering travel packages in foreign currencies are making their products appear cheaper for buyers.