Bali's Party Continues Amid Middle East Conflict, Influx of Tourists from Dubai

Bali’s Governor I Wayan Koster stated that international tourists continue to flock to Bali for holidays despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Koster noted that from the beginning of January until 31 March 2026, international tourist visits to Bali have actually increased compared to 2025. He did not provide detailed figures for the rise. “Yesterday’s data for this year, from January to 31 March 2026, shows that international tourists have genuinely increased compared to 2025. There was previously a concern that the war between America, Israel, and Iran would impact international tourist visits to Bali. It turns out it did not,” Koster said during his presentation at a working meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday (8/4/2026). In fact, he described a unique phenomenon where tourists from Dubai have been flooding into Bali at the start of 2026. He expressed gratitude that Bali remains one of the favourite destinations for international tourists into 2026. “This is something we truly must be thankful for. We even received guests and audiences from parties who have invested in Dubai and plan to move to Bali. So we have already welcomed these guests; they want to relocate from Dubai to Bali,” he continued. Meanwhile, in 2025, the number of international tourists to Bali reached 7.05 million people, higher than the 6.33 million in 2024. Over the past 10 years, the number of international tourists to Bali has been the highest. “In 2025, the number of international tourists arriving in Bali by air reached 7,050,000 people, and this is the highest figure compared to previous years,” he explained. Unfortunately, Koster admitted that Bali is not yet ready to accommodate the influx of tourists from Dubai due to the current conditions, particularly issues with cleanliness and traffic congestion, and thus requested assistance from the central government to jointly improve Bali. “However, we are not yet prepared in terms of supporting factors, the ecosystem, including infrastructure and other matters. This is what we need. If this is not addressed quickly, I believe Bali will be overwhelmed and will increasingly lag behind other countries. It would be a shame if Bali ends up damaged before it can provide the best for Indonesia and the world,” he clarified. He added that if improvements are not made swiftly, Bali will fall further behind Malaysia and Thailand in terms of international tourists. “Because if Bali delays in addressing its infrastructure, Bali’s competitiveness will increasingly lag behind Thailand, even Malaysia. Fortunately, Bali is still loved because of its strong culture, even though it is now more congested, with more rubbish, and water shortages,” he concluded.