Middle Eastern Tourist Arrivals to Bali Drop 65 Percent in February 2026
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded a significant 71.80 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists from China visiting Bali in February 2026 compared to the previous month. In contrast, arrivals of foreign tourists from the Middle East region dropped by as much as 65.60 percent.
The Head of BPS for Bali Province, Agus Gede Hendrayana Hermawan, revealed that China was the only country among the top five main foreign tourist markets to Bali to record significant month-to-month growth. The number of Chinese tourists holidaying in Bali in February 2026 reached 78,849 visits.
“From the five main market shares of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali, four of them showed declines. Only China showed an increase,” Agus stated during a press conference in Denpasar on Wednesday (1/4/2026).
Agus explained that Australia remained the largest contributor of foreign tourists with 99,521 visits. However, he noted that this figure declined by 26.16 percent compared to January 2026.
Foreign tourists from three other countries also experienced declines, namely India contributing 37,132 visits or down 0.59 percent. This was followed by tourists from South Korea who dropped 14.21 percent with 23,600 visits, and Russia down 17.47 percent with 20,564 visits.
Overall, these five countries contributed more than 50 percent of the total foreign tourist arrivals to Bali. Agus suspected that the increase in Chinese tourists in February was influenced by the Chinese New Year holiday momentum.
“This may be related to the Chinese New Year, so many tourists from China then went on holiday to Bali,” said Agus.
By region, arrivals of tourists from Asia increased by 19.43 percent compared to January 2026. In contrast, arrivals of travellers from other regions showed a downward trend.
Agus detailed that European tourist arrivals fell by 0.57 percent, Oceania by 24.92 percent, the Americas and Africa also declined by 4.03 percent and 28.96 percent respectively. The most significant decline occurred in tourists from the Middle East region.
“From the Middle East region, the drop was the deepest at 65.60 percent, possibly due to the impact of conflicts in that area,” he added.
Overall, the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali was recorded at 492,289 visits in February 2026. This figure declined by 1.97 percent compared to the previous month.
The decline occurred at the air entry point through Ngurah Rai International Airport by 2.81 percent. From 500,121 visits in January, it dropped to 486,053 in February 2026.
Meanwhile, arrivals via sea ports increased significantly by 199.23 percent, from 2,084 visits in January to 6,236 visits in February 2026. These sea arrivals were recorded at three ports, namely Benoa Port, Padang Bai, and Celukan Bawang.