Coronavirus: Bali tourism ‘almost paralysed’ as flow of Chinese tourists to Indonesia dries up
- Number of travellers from China and Europe plummets as Indonesia imposes travel restrictions and airlines around the world pull flights
- Hotels in Bali are laying off staff, while some regions have suffered a hit of up to 90 per cent of their revenue amid shrinking tourism
About 98 per cent of people who book tours at his Bali OneTwo Trip tour agency are from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Western European countries and others, and many have postponed their holidays for “an indefinite period of time”.
Although the 27-year-old entrepreneur has no Chinese customers so far, he admitted “we were also affected” as a result of declining tourists from China visiting the island.
For now, Mahendra is closely watching the situation and waiting for updates from the government. He said he would only get in touch with his customers and promote his tours again “when things get back to normal”.
Bali is almost the only island in Indonesia where 70 per cent of people’s lives depend on tourism, both directly and indirectly.
Mahendra, who started his business three years ago, said he would still partner with 10 drivers and four tour guides despite slowing business. He is also maintaining the same prices for his tour packages, which start from 600,000 rupiah (US$39) for a car of two to seven passengers, and lasting eight to 10 hours.
“The current impact is quite felt here and concerning for everyone,” he said. “Bali’s tourism can be said to be almost totally paralysed. This is very worrying.”